The Highest Bidder
by sword 106
Summary: Snow decides to punish Peeta after showing an act of defiance during the games. Like some of the other victors, Peeta has become a prostitute for the Capitol, Snow sells him to the highest bidder. Coincidentally, Peeta makes friends along the way and he's especially close with Finnick. How will Peeta go through life with this side job? How does Finnick help him with his journey?
1. preludium

I get out of bed and make my way into the bathroom fully nude. I press one of the many buttons for the soapy water on the shower wall. The water falls from the ceiling as if it was raining and I let the warm water relax my muscles. I quickly try to wash off the white release of my latest...customer and rid my body of the cold sweat that's been covering me.

My name is Peeta Mellark, I'm 17 and a citizen of District 12. About a few months ago I became the victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with my friend Katniss Everdeen. Our way of winning was a bit... unorthodox, and it completely pissed the Capitol off. When I got home, I thought I would be able to live in peace; they say that when you win, you're bathed in riches and glory. What a bunch of bullshit they fed us, no one ever wins the games. The real winners are the ones who died quickly and painlessly in the arena. But definitely not the victors, during the games we win the hearts of the Capitol to gain sponsors, but after the games, after all the Pomps and Circumstances, we become the Capitol's trophy. We're basically celebrities and they'll pay any amount to have us. We lose the games and our humanity; we become commodities for these people, just lifeless things.

And President Snow used this to his advantage. Snow was livid by the way Katniss and me won, he saw it as an act of treason. And as a way of punishing me, Snow found it appropriate to sell me to the highest bidder. Turns out he thought that the smooth talker of the games would be just as smooth during pillow talk.

I let the vanilla scented water run through my hair before I pull it back and turn off the water. I walk out the shower and onto the giant blow dryer. After I'm dry I walk back into the bedroom to find my customer not in bed and my clothes missing. I walk into the hallway and find him walking, in the nude, from some room with my clothes in his hand. He hands it to me "while you were in the shower, I took the liberty of cleaning your clothes." I nod and take it from his hands, he was a young guy, probably mid 20s and his body was adorn with tribal tattoos. I guess it's better than some of the other crazy things I've seen some of these Capitol weirdos paint onto their bodies.

I quickly put on the clothes: black briefs, tight jeans, white t-shirt, and a black jacket; just the way he ordered for me to come. He stares at me while I get dressed, I roll my eyes. Creep. I stand up straight after putting everything on, he's still looking at me weirdly. He closes the gap between us and slips his hand under my shirt and lifts its, feeling my abs and chest. "You know, my profession is tattooing, and you'd be a fine canvas to work on. From one painter to another." Oh yea, did I mention that not only does the Capitol want to sleep with me but they also love my oil on canvas works?

He takes out his hand and lets my shirt fall in place "Then again, I wouldn't want to ruin such a perfect specimen." He said with that odd Capitol accent and a hungry smile. Don't worry, that wasn't the creepiest thing a customer has said to me. I politely thank him and he directs me to the exit.

It's 3 a.m. and the streets are empty, the next train won't depart for 2 more hours. I've been here so many time for business, so I know my way around the city well enough. There's this botanical garden by the main square I like to sit at, there are lush flowers and a giant fountain in the middle. It takes me a few minutes to walk through the cool, night air but I find the entrance gates.

I follow a random trail, they all lead to the fountain, and I take in the sights and smells of the garden. The moon is bright enough that I can see the beautiful flowers clearly, I never get a chance to come in here during the day, usually cause when my train arrives I have to go straight to the customer's house. I hear the fountain in the distance and make a b-line for it. I go to edge and take a seat, there's foam in the water tonight. You don't know how many times I've thought about not going on the train or just hiding out somewhere in the Capitol and then leaving into the surrounding forests. But I'm too smart for that, they'd instantly kill my entire family and my friends, and besides, they're probably always watching me.

I lay down on the edge with my hands behind my head and look at the clock situated on top of giant building in the distance. I hear someone walking and look over, it's Joanna Mason. She's like me, another thing for the Capitol to buy for a good time. She's wearing a slim back dress, very short, very revealing. "So how was it" I ask, she shrugged "boring as fuck, just some old geezer that wanted to show off at some dumbass Capitol party." She and I always meet here when we have business at the same time, her district is right between mine and the Capitol so we try to ride together.

She took a seat next to my head and starting running her fingers through my hair. During the months she and I have gotten to know each other. She said she absolutely hates how I'm so young but the Capitol forces me to do this. She's only a few years older than me but she has this weird maternal instinct over me. You couldn't tell by her brash actions and vulgar mouth, but she's kinda motherly and protective over me.

"How was your night?" She asked, I shrug my shoulders too "I'm just glad he wasn't into anything weird" I was truly grateful for that, some if these people are so weird and creepy. This one lady made me wear animal ears and a tale and this other guy made me dye my hair black and wear my district's coal miner outfit, which included the pick axe and the helmet. Joanna even told me of a time where she had a guy that wanted her and another victor at the same time. I hope I'm never with a third person.

"Do you know if Finnick is here?" I asked. His district is in another direction so we don't take the train with him, but we sometimes bump into him at a party during business and we always go to a club to blow off steam. I've even shared hotel rooms with him when the train was planning to depart later in the day. Sadly, he's here more often than Joanna and me, so whenever any of us two are here, he most likely is too.

Finnick's this great guy, and he was beautiful. When I started out, he was always there to help me through it. I remember the first time I finished with a customer he told me to meet him here at the fountain. I cried for about an hour that night, I felt so disgusting and dirty and I remember I wouldn't look at myself in the mirror. But he was there for me, he would let me cry into his chest while he rubbed my back, he even cried with me.

We cared for each other, a lot. But I never tried acting on my feelings for him, I was tainted, I wanted him to have better. "No I haven't seen your little boyfriend around, we would've been at The District by now." The District was both of their favorite club, I wasn't one for dancing and drinking, but the liquor does help a lot. "I've told you before , he's not my boyfriend." I said as I got up to look at her with that stupid smirk she has.

"I'm just saying, I see the way you two look at each other, and you two would look hot together." I rolled my eyes at her, I've had this conversation with her already. "Even if I wanted to be his boyfriend, it wouldn't matter, I'm engaged to be engaged to Katniss and we both live on completely different parts of Panem. It would never work." She scoffed at that, she always claims that be an excuse "God Peeta, you're such a pussy. Just talk to him and hook up. He'd be willing to move to 12 for you."

The thought of that actually made me a little happy. But Snow hates me, and there's no way he would allow for Finnick to stay in 12, victors never leave their district for good. I look over at the giant clock and it strikes 4, an hour before we leave. I stand up, "we should head to the station, the train leaves at five and its gonna take us a while to get there." She took off her heels and held them before getting up "Fuck, I don't know why you're in such a rush to get home." "I have to get ready for the Victory Tour." I say dryly, I hate the tour, it's just another way to shove everyone's face back into the horrors of the games. And it means that I have to put on the star-crossed lovers show for the nation, it also means that I have to look at the parents of the victims, something else to add to my nightmare induced restless sleep.

She wrapped an arm around my shoulders "I'm sorry Peeta, I remember that. Fucking sucks dick." I put my arms in my jacket pockets and look up, "It sucks major dick." Then she punched me on the arm,"Ow the hell?" "You better fucking spend the night at my house. If you bitch enough they let you spend an extra day at a district, just give some shit excuse like you want to learn about the culture. That's how Finnick and I get to hang whenever one of our tributes win."

I nod, that'll be nice to hang out with the two of them in their own homes instead of in this weird circus of a city. "I've always wanted to go to the beach, and I've always wanted to have seafood." Joanna looks at me like she's expecting more from me "And I guess your district has stuff to do" I laugh while she smacks my chest "Don't be a little baker bitch." I rub where she smacks and I calm down.

"Joanna calm down, the only fun thing in my district is the black market and the field trips to the coal mines. And don't call me that." Baker bitch is a nickname Finnick made up and I fucking hate it. We walked the all too familiar streets in silence, enjoying each other's company. It's 4:30 by the time we make it the station and we take a seat on the train platform. I bought us both some food while we waited. Joanna turned and looked at me "So what do you tell everyone when you leave?"

I looked at my food "Nothing elaborate, I just tell them that I have victor business to take care of, if they ask for anything specific I just make something." "What's your excuse this trip?" "There's an inauguration of a senator and he wanted some of his favorite victors to attend." She looked at me oddly "Do they even have senators?" I shrugged my shoulders, "I think they had senators before the dark days" Joanna started laughing at that and I joined her.

"What do you tell your family?" "Pff, I bought them their own damn house a long time ago, I love them and all but they got on my nerves easily." I laughed first this time, I know how family can be annoying sometimes, I have a ball busting mother and two big brothers that always want to 'man me up'. We go back and forth telling stories about each others family, all the way until we get to her stop in 7. District 7 is really close to the Capitol so it only took about an hour to get there, we hug and say our good byes.

I go into my room and close the shades, the sun is just rising but I want to sleep. I strip off my jacket and shoes and lay down on the bed and try to have some sleep. It's takes about a day to get home. It's a little past seven and I make my way home in the morning sun. The Seam is bustling with people doing their morning errand and stuff. I cut through some streets and find the entrance for Victor's Village. I walk into my designated house and find my family eating breakfast. We still run the bakery, but with my winnings, it isn't imperative that we sell every loaf of bread we have.

"Look who it is!" Says my mom as she gets up to give me a hug. "How was your trip? Was the Senator nice?" "Sweetie, leave the boy alone, he's just got back, let him rest a bit." Says my dad walking out of the kitchen with a plate of food. He hugs me and seats himself at the dining table. My brothers wave at me, both their mouths stuffed with food. "Peeta you had two calls while you were gone. One was from your stylist, Portia, she said she's going to send you a bunch of outfits for your tour. And you had another from Finnick Odair. I didn't know you two knew each other."

I nod at her, "Yea, some of the victors are really tight knit." I say as I make my way upstairs into my room and grabbed the phone and dial the operator. The phones are typically used for victors and their stylist, victors weren't really meant to be friends and stay in contact with each other but... "Yes how may I help you" "Hi, Finnick Odair, District 4 please." I say politely, I hear a few clicks and then a ring. Then I heard his voice, "Hello?" "Finnick?" "Peeta! Joanna called me yesterday telling me that you two were together at the Capitol. I'm sorry I wasn't there with you." Is he stupid? "I'm glad you wasn't there, you shouldn't be there at all!"

I heard him chuckling on the other side "Don't blow a fuse Peeta. I just don't like you going through this without me there. But anyway, how are you feeling, Joanna didn't want to tell me much." I blushed a little, like I said, he really cares for me. "I'm fine, nothing bad happened this time, just a quick job." I heard him sigh in relief, he's knows as much as I do how crazy these customers can get. "So I hear you're gonna try to immerse yourself in some of the districts' culture. I can't wait to see you, Joanna says you've never been to the beach." "Yea I've always wanted to go, I don't even know how to swim nor been on a boat." "So it's decided, you'll be staying with me during your stay and you'll be my next student." I smiled at the thought of being with Finnick, all we do when at the Capitol is feel sorry about ourselves and drink at the club. Being with Finnick at his home will be great.

We talk a few more minutes about nothing in particular until he decided he wanted me to rest. As a victor, he knows how much sleep we actually get, and the restlessness was evident in my voice. "We'll ill see you within the month, I can't wait." he says. "Yea, I can't wait to see you too, bye Finnick." "Bye Peeta, sweet dreams." I hung up and take off my custom picked outfit and place it in the trash, I put on some of my own clothes and lay down on my bed. The last thing I think of before going to sleep is Finnick and me on the beach.

I was inspired to write this when I saw Catching Fire during the scene where Joanna asked Peeta about everyone wanting to sleep with him. So please let me know if you guys like this or hate this. Tell me of any questions or concerns you have. Thanks for reading!


	2. treading on

Chapter 2

"Wait so what the fuck exactly did you guys do in 11?" Asked Joanna as we walked the cluttered streets of District 7. It's been a couple weeks since I last saw her and since the tour started, and it has been one hell after another. Portia and Cinna made a quick visit to my district to get us primped and perfect for our televised audience. Every day it took me two hours and Katniss four hours to get ready to do absolutely anything. The worst part is that they have to strip our bodies of any piece of hair on us, every morning! And why is Effie so peppy in the morning? It only brings the worse out of Katniss and then I'm caught in the middle, hairless and aggravated.

But luckily I had Finnick to talk to almost everyday. Lately his calls are the only things that keep me grounded. Everything has been one big crap storm after another, I have to tame Katniss because she can't even breath irregularly without aggravating the Capitol, I have to watch what I do because then I might upset snow, and the only person who can even attempt to help is Haymitch who is is only sober after an 8 hour sleep, and then conveniently gets drunk again. It feels like I'm walking across a mine field with clown shoes and added weights.

"All Katniss and I wanted to do was help out the families. And it was fine until the old man did the fucking salute." "And then what?" "And then all hell broke loose, everyone started freaking out and a small uprising erupted. Peacekeepers came out from everywhere and attacked everyone. Joanna, they even shot the old man in front of everyone, it was horrible." The memories of what happened at District 11 play through my head. "Did the Capitol say anything to you guys?" ask Joanna, I shake my head "They didn't say anything, but Haymitch basically ripped Katniss and me a new one. He knows the Capitol is pissed at us, they have been ever since we won the games, but now the Districts are starting to push back and we're the one to blame. Haymitch said it's up to us that we try to stop that." I explain to Joanna. She gives me a confused look, "And how the fuck does he expect you guys to do that?" I sigh, I hate the answer but … "Katniss and I have to get married." She mulls my answer over for a second before asking "And what did you have to say to that?" I shrug "What was there to say? It was inevitable that we were going to get married, the Capitol and the rest of Panem are expecting it from the star-crossed lovers."

Joanna stops in her tracks and turns to face me "Peeta, that's horrible and complete bullshit, I'm sure that there's somet-" "Joanna, you know as well as I do that this is how it's going to happen. I have to do what the Capitol wants, no matter what it is." I say cutting her off, she gives me a defeated look. "Look Joanna, trust me, I hate this more than anything, but doing this can potentially save the other districts." I can tell she doesn't like my answer, but it's something we all have to accept. "Now c'mon, it's getting dark and chilly" I fix my backpack strap on my shoulder and continue to walk, Joanna speeds up to stay at my side. She stays silent all the way until we get to her house in the Victor's Village, I look around and I notice right away all the lights that are on. It's unnerving and, at the same time, nice to see so many other houses with people inside. The Village back home has only three houses occupied and everything else is pitch black.

We find her house and she unlocks the door, "Come in, you can drop your bag off in one of the rooms upstairs. I looked around the room, the interior wasn't drastically different from mine, there were different color walls and furniture, but the layout looked similar. I go upstairs and head to the bathroom, I take out my toothbrush from my bag and place it in the little holder by the sink. I exit and see that the room right across from the bathroom is an empty bedroom, I drop my bag in there and go back downstairs. I look around around and find Joanna in the kitchen, two glasses of water out for the both of us. "So what's gonna happen when you two get married" she asks while I take a seat across from her. "I don't know, I guess we'd have to move in together, they'd probably get us to have a honeymoon out in the Capitol." She takes a sip and thinks about my answer "I thought that you two aren't really the best of friends, how are you going to spend the rest of your lives together?" That was a very good question, how was I going to spend the rest of my life with her? How long would I be able to keep up this act for the Capitol?

"So I'm guessing Finnick doesn't know anything yet." I nod, I haven't seen him yet, the tour goes in descending numerical order this year so I have two more districts before I reach his and I didn't think a phone call was an appropriate way to let him know of my engagement. She gives me a smirk "So what's Katniss gonna think when she catches her husband banging his manstress Finnick Odair?" I almost choke on the water I was drinking while she's cracking up. "Shut up, Finnick is not going to be my manstress nor are we going to ever bang." Joanna is still laughing, then she stops "Ew, do you think that she'd be one of those weird chicks that would be into, like, guy threesomes or she would try to join?" I felt my whole body cringe at that image "That's fucking gross Joanna, please, for the love of God, stop" she laughs even harder at my reaction, that stupid ass, only she would find that funny. "Oh don't get your panties in a twist baker bitch, I'm only kidding." I roll my eyes and finish my water. "Well, I'm kidding about the Katniss part, the whole banging Finnick thing is a grey area." I hit her shoulder when I go to place my glass into the sink. "But seriously, what's gonna happen between you and Finnick?" I turn to her "Nothing, I mean we're still going to stay friends like always."

She rolls her eyes, "Don't feed me that bullshit, you know what I mean." I sigh and return to my seat on the opposite side of the table. I did know exactly what she meant, but it's not something I should think about. I have mine and Katniss' life, my business, and the fate of the districts to worry about, my feelings aren't necessarily important at the moment. "You already know what I really think." She abruptly stands up while throwing her hands into the air "Fine, have it your own damn way." she slams her hands onto the table "But just know that this is fucking bullshit and Finnick is going to hate this a lot more than I will when he finds out. Believe it or not, you're worth a lot more to him than you realize." I scoff at that, oh please, I'm only worth what someone is willing to pay for, but I don't tell her that, she hates it when I say things like that. She takes her glass and places it in the sink, she still looks upset. "Joanna, can you please not be mad. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon and I don't want to spend my whole arguing with you or you being mad at me. Please?"

I beg, I really don't want to spend the whole trip arguing about my feelings of Finnick. She crosses her arms over her chest but her face lightens up "I just hate how you're putting everything before yourself, I just, I just want you to be happy. And the only way that's going to happen is if you start to do the things you want to do." She has concern written all in her face, I know she really does want the best for me "I see the way you two look at each other, how you two comfort each other. Neither of you treat me the same way so I know it isn't cause you two are just friends. I just don't want you to completely ignore those feelings because you think you have to." I take her words into consideration, I know she had a point but she isn't the one in my position. I know I do have feelings for Finnick, but there's so many things happening, things that are bigger than the three of us. I can't just play secret relationship and jeopardize everything. "I promise I won't, but if things don't pan out the way you wanted them to between Finnick and me, I don't want you berating me about it. Deal?" she smiles and comes over to give me a hug "Deal." I smile too and we let go of each other. "Now enough of this sentimental crap, it's bottomless rum Tuesday at this bar I know."

About two hours and a few shots later, Joanna and I could barley see or stand straight. I had my head down because I was tired and Joanna was trying to convince me to take another shot with her. I've always been somewhat of a light weight but I only have Joanna and Finnick to compare myself to and they both can drink anyone under the tale. "Awh c'mon baker bitch, don't let me drink alone. Just have one more shot and I won't ask again" "Joanna, you said that two shots ago, I'm done for the night." I say, not bothering to lift my head up. I'm received with a hmph and she takes the shot, slamming the glass on the table. "Alright baker bitch, lezzgo, I guess I'm done for the night too" we both get up and exit the bar. We hold on to each other for some support, but it defeats the purpose if we're both stumbling around. I notice some kids holding axes and walking in a group, I guess they got off the late shift, "You know, if you think about it, it's kinda unfair that 12 has to go into the games. At least the kids here get to swing an axe all day and learn how to use it." Joanna turns her head towards me and I all I can smell is the alcohol radiating from her breath. "But don't you guys have the mines? I mean a pick axe is not that different than a regular axe when swinging it at someone."

I shake my head, regretting it immediately because then the whole world swirls around me "We don't work there until we turn 19." "Oh shit. That blows. Can't they try to teach you guys survival skills or something that might help you in the games?" "No, if we try anything like that, they'll stop it right away, the Capitol doesn't like us the way they do the career districts." Joanna looks like she's absorbing the information, or maybe she's thinking about putting one foot in front of the other. Either way, she doesn't answer. It takes us a while, but we make it to the Village and we find her house. The first thing we do when we get inside is go int our rooms upstairs. I don't remember why, but I decided that the room down the hall was too far for me so I decided to go to the room next to Joanna's. I open the door and stumble directly to the bed. I tip myself over with my head aimed for the pillow. I don't bother taking off my clothes except my shoes and I go to sleep.

The next morning I awake to the blinding rays of the sun that come through the window blinds. I groan and turn my head face down, my head was pounding and I my body felt soar. I don't know how Haymitch can do this everyday, I feel like complete shit and I never want to drink again. Ugh, I have to piss so badly, I force myself to sit up and take in my surroundings. It takes me a second but I realize that I'm in a child's room. There's a toy chest at the foot of the bed and there's pictures all over of Joanna, a boy, and I guess their family. There're even little drawings scattered around the rooms on the walls. I get up and walk to the bathroom, I relieve myself and go into my room and take off the jacket I wore to bed. I drop it on the bed and go downstairs to find Joanna in the kitchen cooking something awful. "What the hell are you making?" Joanna turns around, surprised by my entrance. "Take a seat baker bitch, this is District 7's special hang over cure." she says as she pours two bowls of the soup. She passes a bowl to me and I start to analyze it. I pick up the spoon full of the dark brown soup to find a pine cone. "Are you boiling a freaking tree in there?" she laughs at my question and forces a spoon full of the gruel into her mouth. "Way back when, the Capitol wanted to find a cure for their hangovers, so they started to look for something natural in the districts. They couldn't find anything in the wild so they ended genetically mortifying plants and trees so they can later mass produce it here and at 11. When we collect the lumber we strip the trees of the pine cones and they turn it into pills in another district." I look at the pine cone again and think "Then why the hell did you turn it into a soup?" she forces another spoon full into her mouth and swallows "Unless you can whip out a pill machine out of your ass, this is the next best thing. Unless you want to eat the pine cone raw, boiling it is the only other way to get the hangover cure properties. It just sucks cause it tastes like shit and makes the soup really thick. But trust me, it's worth it."

I take her word for it, this headache feels like my head is splitting apart. I force a spoon full of the stuff into my mouth and immediately feel like upchucking, it tastes awful. "Suck it up baker bitch, we've both put worse in our mouth. Just hold your breath." I roll my eyes at Joanna's inspiring pep talk. But I do take her advice of holding my breath and try to eat the liquid crap as fast as possible. It made me gag a few times but I was able to force it all down my throat. I get up to place it in the sink and go towards the fridge to find something to wash the disgusting taste out my mouth. "Well, thanks for the crap." "Don't be a bitch, just get the orange juice and sit down." I grab a glass and pour myself some juice and take a seat. "So what's the plan for today?" Joanna grabs the juice and drinks from the carton "You have to leave in a few hours so I was thinking that you meet some of the other victors and then we can hang out by the station. Sounds cool?" I nod in agreement, it would be nice to meet some of the other victors. Joanna told me before that the victors are really close knit, well except the career victors, but the other victors are suppose to be really friendly towards each other.

We both go upstairs to wash and get ready, Joanna has a shower in her master bedroom and I have the hallway bathroom. I grab my change of clothes and turn on the shower, the scent of strawberries fills the room. I enter and let the water ease my soar body, I run my hands through my hair, expecting it to hurt due to my sensitive headache, but that disgusting toilet water soup actually worked. My headache was gone and my stomach didn't hurt. I do my normal routine in the shower and finish up by stepping onto the drying platform. I put on my clothes for the day and step out the bathroom. I throw my laundry in my room and go back downstairs. I take a seat on the coach and turn the t.v. on and wait for Joanna to finish. In a few minutes she's downstairs fully clothed "You ready baker bitch?" I nod and turn off the television.

Joanna locks the door behind us and I'm immediately met with sight of a busy Victor's Village. Some old people were gardening, I see a man playing fetch with a dog, I even see parents playing with their kids. "That man, playing with the dog, he's Blight, he won a few years before me. And that family over there, the mom, that's Rita, and the dad is Gaston. They won a few years apart a little over a decade ago." Joanna continued to name some of the other older Victors, but I was completely fixated on the family. Why would a couple that consisted of both victors ever start a family? They both know first hand the horrors of the Games, why would they want to bring life into this world? One of the kids caught me staring and stared back "Mommy look! That's Peeta, Peeta Mellark!" the son started to pull his moms pants leg and directed her over to me. The rest of the family followed and then the dad, Gaston, extended his hand to shake mine "Hello Peeta, nice to meet a fellow Victor, I'm Gaston" his grip is strong and his voice is gruff.

I shake his hand and nod, then the mother extended her's "I'm Rita, and these two are Orris and Daisy." I shake and crouch down to eye level with the little kids. I smile "Hi guys, my name's Peeta" they both just stare in awe. The little girl stuck out her arm and felt my hair, and quickly retracted it, they both gasped. Daisy looks at Orris "It's really him" I laugh at their bewilderment. "You're so cool Peeta, I wanted you and Katniss to win since the first day." said the little boy Orris. Joanna and I start to laugh at his adorableness. Then his sister handed us a ball "Can you play with us? Please please please Peeta?" they both folded their hands and begged us to play "Now Now kids, I'm sure Peeta and Joanna have a busy schedule today." said Rita. "It's okay Rita, Peeta and I were just gonna go around the Village and talk to the other Victors." said Joanna. Who knew that she had a soft spot for kids, speaking of which, both the small children started to dance in excitement. We spent the next hour and a half kicking around the ball with the Orris, Daisy, and the rest of the family. It was refreshing to see such a happy family, after everything that has been going on it's nice to experience some innocence.

Turns out that it isn't uncommon for Victors from the same district to have a relationship with each other. After we play with the kids Joanna introduced me to some of the other Victors, Blight was a pretty cool guy and his dog was friendly too. I also met some of the other older Victors but they weren't really in a talkative mood. By the time we went our rounds it was already a few minutes after 3:00., they wanted me to be at the train by 5:00, so we decided to grab my bag from the house and so we can just chill by the station. When Joanna and I went upstairs, I notice the room I was sleeping in last night, "Hey, Joanna, who's room is this?" Joanna turned around and looked inside the room "Oh, this is my baby brother's room. After I moved my family out he still wanted to spend some nights here, so I let this be his room and so he can come whenever" as she's telling me this I walk into the room and pick up one of the picture frames, it's a picture of Joanna and her family. It looked like it was taken a few years ago because there was a miniature version of Joanna holding an infant and what I'm guessing is her parents directly behind them. "I think that was a year before my reaping, I was 15 at the time" she said looking over my shoulder at the picture.

It's one thing to hear victors talk about their families, but it's another thing to actually see them. "What happened? The day you were reaped?" She crossed her arms and sat on the bed "Well obviously I couldn't believe it. But to tell you the truth, I didn't really react to it as much as I thought I should have. I remember my family visited me for the last ten minutes and all of them were freaking out and crying, but I could barely say a word. I didn't know what to say honestly." she grabs the frame from my hands and looks at it "What was your reaping like?" I shrugged "It was weird. I always had the fear of being chosen. But deep down I had the feeling that it was never going to be me. Someone else was always chosen, you know what I mean? The Games were always something that someone else had to go through while everyone back home watched. And they're so many other males at 12 and guys were always adding their names additional times in the pool. And then the whole thing with Katniss and her sister freaked me out a little, and then they called my name. It didn't really hit me that I was going into the games until I was in the slaughter room, it felt all so surreal until then."

Joanna held my hand, "I know what you mean kiddo, it doesn't really hit you that you have to fight until you're in the arena." we sit there for a few more seconds in silence before I get up "C'mon I shouldn't have asked, I was just curious is all. I'll grab my bag and we can leave." I get up and do just that, then we both head outside. We take our time walking to the station, we were just talking about our families back home. I talked about how my family and I were still running the bakery and she talked about how her parents were glad to be retired form the lumber business and that she wanted to pay for a tutor for her brother so he can get a better education. She was talking about how she wanted to better her brother's life and it made me remember something from yesterday "Joanna, yesterday you told me that I was worth more to Finnick than I realized. What did you mean?" she looks confused for a second and then I guess she remembered the conversation form yesterday. She sighs before speaking "Okay, but what I'm going to tell you is only between you and me. Finnick doesn't want you knowing about this." I nod my head "Okay, so before you came along, it was just me and him in the Capitol when there was business. And before you won the Games Finnick was getting a lot of customers, and I mean a lot. And it wasn't in just the Capitol, apparently district Peacekeepers are allowed to make orders. He wouldn't come home for days, he was even gone for more than a week once, and that's when the depression really started to hit. When I was with him, he would drink twice as much as me and he started doing drugs. I was able to calm him down a little, but since I wasn't always with him, I wasn't able to help him though anything. But luckily, you came along. At first he tried not shooting up whenever you were around, I guess he didn't want to influence you."

Drugs, I've seen drug users at the Seam back home, they were always homeless and looked of death. Thinking of Finnick like that sent a chill down my spine. "Is he clean now? Did he stop?" Joanna just shrugged her shoulders "I don't know, I haven't seen him do it lately, but I'm not always with him." She says with concern in her eyes. I couldn't believe it, the thought of Finnick being depressed was unbelievable, and to add drug use to the mix was...there isn't a word to describe how unfathomable it is. "Wait, is that why you want me to be with him?" she shakes her head "I would be lying if I said that wasn't a part of it, but the only time I see the two of you genuinely happy is when you two are together. Lately you two have been in a funk, and the two of you are my closest friends and I hate seeing you two like this." I absorb her words, maybe I should really try to give this whole relationship thing a try, I mean if I really make happy enough to stop doing drugs, then maybe I should really consider us together. But then again, I have the whole uprising thing to worry about and the Capitol is constantly watching me. Bah, this is all too confusing, I'd rather deal with this when I'm with Finnick, maybe we can talk about it. "And you too would look hot together" with Joanna started to laugh and I couldn't help but chuckle, leave it to her to be vulgar during a serious moment.

We stayed at a small bakery for the rest of my stay, it reminded me of. We ate pastries that were native to this district, I decided to remember these and try to mimic them at home. We made it to the station a few minutes later, we hugged and she told me to call her when I made it to Finnick's house. I told her I would and I enter the train. Haymitch was having a drink at the table and Katniss was reading a book on the couch. "I hope you guys didn't stay here all day." I say gaining their attention, "We went to the main square and looked around, this place is just a lumber district so there wasn't too much to do." Katniss said not bothering to look away from the book, talkative as always. Haymitch gave me a thumbs down, I guess it was an un eventful day for him too. I look around "Where's Effie?" it was unnervingly quiet without her "On the phone." replied Katniss.

Like clockwork Effie comes into the train car and immediately notices me "Oh Peeta, you've finally made it. This is for you" she quickly hugs me and hands me a paper with a phone number written on it. "Call this number, it's an official from the Capitol and they're expecting a reply. Apparently it's an official from the office of President Snow." the mention of Snow grabs everyone's attention. I look at the paper, if it's from his office then it's a safe bet that it's a business call. Damn it all, does he have to schedule someone during the tour? It's probably someone from the Capitol that wants me to spend the night after the big party we'll have. How I am going to explain this to everyone? I go into the neighboring car and pick up the phone and I quickly dial the number. It rings twice "This is office member Marcot Cadenz, please state your business." I clear my throat "This is Peeta Mellark, I was told to call this number." "Ah yes, Mr. Mellark the president has requested that you have an extended stay at district 5. You will be spending the night with Peacekeeper Sean Copper. After your scheduled speech, you will wait in the train until you are requested to visit the mayor's building. From there Peacekeeper Copper will pick you up. Are these instructions clear?" I just give a simple yes and am answered with a dial tone.

I slam the phone onto its holder. Fuck! This has to happen now? During my tour? Of all the bloody… this is ridiculous! And it's a Peacekeeper, I've seen the conditions Finnick and Joanna were left after they had business with a Capitol Peacekeeper. Let's just thank God that there're serums and ointments that can get rid of bruises. I shiver at the memory of Finnick's banged up arms and cheeks after he had business with one of them. I exit the train car and make a b-line for my room. Haymitch and Katniss try to question the reason for the calls, but I ignore them and lock my room door behind me. All I can do is curl up under the sheets and try to get some restless sleep.


	3. piece by piece

As I sit in the Mayor's building in District 5, all I can think about was the Peacekeeper I was going to have to spend the night with. The trip to 6 and my stay at 5 felt like the longest and shortest trips of my life. My thoughts were constantly on the man, Sean Copper, the man I was going to service. It was unsettling, having business in a district, at least in the Capitol I was in familiar territory, but it's obviously my first time here. I've only seen the reaping stadium on television during the Games. And I'm here all alone in the dark waiting area where the Reaped get their five minutes to say their goodbyes. Katniss and Haymitch still questioned me on the call from Snow's office, but I was able to give them excuse on how the Victor Service at the office was following up on some piping issues in my house. Thankfully they believed me and we left it at that.

I place my elbows down on my knees and place my chin on top. I hate having to lie to them, but the less people who know about my profession (if you can call it that), the better. God, what would they think of me? What would my parents think if they found out? My thoughts drift to Finnick and Joanna, my closest friends in the world. I wonder if they have told anyone outside our small group. Before I could think of an answer, the doors to the room open and in walks a white clad Peacekeeper. He walks towards me and takes off his helmet. It's an older man, probably mid thirties, he had black hair, and he has this very straight and serious face. "Peeta Mellark, I'm glad that you were able to make it, I'm Sean Copper. Please come with me, you will be spending the night with me." From what I can tell, he's all business. Good, I hate it when they talk too much or ask questions. I don't want to learn about their lives and I don't want them learning anymore about mine. I get up and follow him out the building, he doesn't say anything for the first few minutes while we weave through the streets of district 5.

"You know, I've been trying to acquire you for quite some time now. Believe it or not, you cost a hefty penny. I have even considered taking a trip to your district so to avoid the shipping fee. But luckily you were able to come to me instead" Acquire? Shipping fee? God, I sound like one of those toys commercials advertise; they would always charge shipping and handling fees. Good to know I'm a quality whore though. "I hope you don't mind, but you'll be somewhat of a birthday gift." Humph, wouldn't be the first time, I had this lady buy me for her friend's bachelorette party, I would have never guessed that a prostitute is an acceptable wedding gift. "Somewhat?" I ask looking up at him. He smirks "A friend of mine is a big fan of yours, and like I said, you're an expensive commodity I have been trying to obtain as well." I stop in my tracks "What are you insinuating?" He places an arm around my shoulders, forcing to continue to walk. "Don't worry, you'll figure it soon enough."

I can hear my heart beating in my ears. Please, please God, don't let this be what I think it is. If it has to be two people please let it be two separate nights. I can feel my eyes water a little, drunken stories by Finnick of similar encounters start to ring in my ears. We turn a corner and I can see a row of similar looking houses, they're probably where the Peacekeepers live. We walk onto a porch of one of the many houses and Copper knocks "Kriggs, open up! I have a gift for you." I hear footsteps approach the door and the it opens to an orange haired older male, around the same age as Copper. "What do you mean you ha-" he cuts off when he sees me in Copper's arm, he flashes me a wicked smile. "Oh? What do we have here?" Copper releases me and gives me a small shove towards Kriggs. He grabs my chin roughly and forces me to look at him "Well I'll be damned. You actually got him." I try to rip my chin out of his grasp, bad move. He grabs my hair and pulls it, forcing me to look up. "Oh ho, looks like we got ourselves a fighter. We're gonna have some fun with you." He gives me a chuckle and lets go. We all walk through the door. I follow Kriggs through his messy house while different scenarios run through my head. One of my worst fears is coming into fruition, two customer at the same time. Two male customers at the same time. All I can wish for is to go numb during this, just like every other time. Play along Peeta, do what they want and don't excite them too much. Just go numb and try to feel nothing.

We walk through the hall, passing the living room, papers scattered everwhere, and go upstairs. We make it to a bedroom and they both stand next to each other, Kriggs gives me another wicked grin "Since he's my birthday gift, does this mean we get to do anything I say?" "Looks about right. But you better get my money's worth." replied Copper. Kriggs crossed his arm "Strip." trying not meet his gaze I unzip my jacket and lift the shirt over my head. I look up, waiting for their approval. I'm met with waiting gazes, I take off my shoes and socks and undo my belt, letting my pants fall to my ankles. I lightly kick them to the side and look again, both of them smirking. I love Portia, but damn her for packing the tightest and most revealing boxer briefs. "What I tell ya? I told you he'd be worth it." Kriggs says to Copper. Copper smirks while Kriggs grabs the waistband of my underwear and forcefully pulls me against him. He grabs my hair, forces my head up, and shoves his tongue down my throat, I know better than to resist. I feel his other hand making its way down my chest, abs, and finally on my ass, giving it a painful squeeze.

He lets go of me and I see Copper is stripping himself of his uniform. Kriggs whispers in my ear "I knew you baked bread, but who knew you tasted just as good." I shiver, but I guess he took it as excitement because his wicked grin reappears. "Take off your underwear" This time it was Copper and he's in just his boxers, a serious look on his face. I hook my thumbs on my waistband and pull down the last bit of clothing. It falls to my ankles, now I'm as naked as the day I was born, exposed and vulnerable to these men. Copper smirks and and gets closer to me while pulling out his retractable baton. "Now get on your knees" he says as he hits the back of my knees. I give a hurt yelp and I land on my hands and knees hard with my head facing down. I feel the cold wood of the baton under my chin, forcing me to look up. This time it was Kriggs with the baton "Don't worry boy, just listen to us and try not to scream too loud and I promise we won't hurt you too bad."

All I can do is nod "Now, take off my pants and get to work" Krigg says while taking off his shirt. I get off my hands and undo his belt, I let his pants fall to mid thigh and I grab his boxers and pull those down as well. I'm met with his semi-erect dick, I grab it and place it in my mouth. His hands reach the back of my head and forces me down. I look up, making eye contact, guys go crazy for that. "Awh fuck man" Kriggs closes his eyes, enjoying the moment. In my peripheral vision I can Copper stroking himself, looking directly at us. He walks over and pokes my cheek with his erection. I let go and take in Copper's dick and Kriggs lets go of my head. "Fuck dude, best gift ever" I hear Kriggs exclaim to Copper while he strokes himself. Copper's fully erect so I have to hollow out my cheeks and open my throat, he takes my head and forces me lower, causing me to gag. I alternate between them for a few minutes before I'm grabbed by the neck and forced up. I grab Copper's wrist and try to pry him off, but he only laughs at my attempts. He spins me around while forcefully taking my right arm behind my back. He then pushes my face against a wall. I scream when my face makes impact and then I feel him smack my ass "Now now, remember what Kriggs said, try not to scream too loud." I start to hear him laugh and I feel a small trickle of blood leak from my brow. I look behind me and I see Kriggs on his bed putting hand cuffs on the bed posts. Copper gets on his knees, his hand still holding my arm, and I feel his tongue on my entrance. He lingers there until he slowly guides it up my back all the way to the shell of my ear. "Mmm, you really do taste good boy."

"Sean, stopp messing with my gift, bring him over here." I hear Kriggs calling form the bed, Copper then proceeds to grab my biceps as hard as he can and guides me towards Kriggs. He throws me onto the bed, Kriggs grabs my sides. I feel my entire backside make contact with his entire front. He immediately starts kissing and sucking my neck, surely leaving hickeys and love bites. Copper gets on the bed too, grabbing my thigh with his vice grip and shoves his tongue into my mouth. We stay like this for a few more seconds until I feel Kriggs hot breath against my ear "Be a good baker and cuff yourself." I look up towards the bed post and grab one of the cuffs, I hesitate at first but I have to follow his command. Kriggs grabs the other cuff as I offer him my hand. Then I feel Copper take one of the cuffs and tightens it as hard as it can go. I yelp in pain "That fucking hurts" wrong move again, I feel Copper's fist make full contact with my left cheek. I'm dazed for a second "You'll speak when spoken to whore" he grabs my neck and gets face to face with me "The only thing I want to hear from you are moans and 'sir yes sir,' do I make myself clear?" I nod slowly. "Good." he grabs the other cuff and tightens it, I bite the inside of my cheek to stifle another yelp. Kriggs gets up and goes to dresser drawer, pulling out a bottle of liquid, most likely lube. He comes back and I feel him quirt some of the liquid all over my back and abdomen, body oil? After he's done spreading it over me, he spreads onto himself and hands it to Copper. He places his lips onto my ears, "It's an oil that heats you when you blow on it" and as to prove it to me he turns my body and goes to the middle of my back and lightly blows on it. I close my eyes and gasp into Copper's mouth, bucking forward. I hated myself and it for feeling so damn good.

Finnick's POV

Myself and a bunch of kids are sitting around a bon fire on the beach. We all have a knife in one hand and a shell in the other. I was teaching them how to carve letters in them correctly so they can make charms and necklaces. All the adults are out fishing at the moment, all the kids wait on the beach for them everyday, but today I decided to try and distract them. There was a storm out in sea and all the kids were worried, and admittedly, so was I. No one likes going out to sea in these conditions, but it's that or suffer from not meeting the weekly quota.

"Finnick, am I doing this right?" I turn around and see little Ronny holding up his shell. I get up and look at it, it looks like he was trying to write his name. I chuckle "You got the hang of it, here, lemme just smooth out the 'o' and you can do the 'y' " I use my knife to smooth it out and hand it back to him, I walk back to my spot and finish up with my shell. The rigged side had 'PM' carved into it and the smooth side had the initials 'FO', I wanted to give it to Peeta as a gift when I see him. I can't wait, I've been like a child on their birthday, I'm so excited to see him that I've been watching the stupid tour everyday to see where he is and to estimate when he'll get here.

Weird thing is though, Flickerman said that he was going to stay in 5 to learn the culture. I didn't know he knew anyone there. I'll just brush it off, he probably met someone when I wasn't in the Capitol, or Haymitch could've asked for it. I wipe off some of the dust and sand from the shell and start trying to drill a hole into the edge of the shell so I can turn it into a necklace. All I can think about is sitting on the beach, Peeta laying in my arms, I'll show this to him and he'll love it. I'll place it around his neck and he'll thank me, giving me a kiss. Man that boy has put me through a spell. Since day one all I've wanted to do was be around him, and fortunately I was able to be around him a lot, even if the circumstances weren't desirable. But I think I've found a kind of loophole, I have unlimited amounts of money which means I might be able to buy Peeta a few nights out of the month, and then he can do the same with me. That way we can be together other than when we're on business. Hehe, well I guess there would be business happening if Peeta was spending the night with me.

What if I can convince Peeta to stay in my room with me when he visits? I smile at the thought of Peeta sleeping next to me, his chest slowly rising and falling, lightly snoring that cute snore he has. The way his hair is neatly disheveled over his forehead (if that makes sense). Then my mind starts to drift into the more dirtier images of him, I'd be lying if I said I haven't mustered some scenarios I would like to see us go through. The one I like most is him and me on the private beach reserved for victors. He on his back, sprawled out, his t-shirt ripped in half. The sleeves still intact so it remains on him. I pull down his shorts and all I can do is admire his body. But the image I savor most is Peeta looking away from me with that shy look he has, chest heaving, his face red form the excitement and the exposure. Bah! I shake my head, I shouldn't be thinking about this when I'm with kids.

"Look! I can see the fishing boat!" I'm quickly pulled from my thoughts, I look over to where one of the shouting kids were pointing and I can see boat in the distance. "Alright c'mon guys, lets wait for everyone at the dock." All the kids make a mad dash for the nearby docks and I follow right behind them.

Peeta's POV a few hours later

Copper finally releases into my mouth while Kriggs exits my entrance. We've been at this for a few hours now and I'm exhausted and soar all over. I spit the contents of Copper out of my mouth and onto the sheets. I tip over onto the bed while Copper does the same. Kriggs stays on his knees, looking at me. The room is filled with the noises of the three of us panting and the creaking of the bed. I finally get to rub my wrists, they were red and aggravated from the cuffs. I look down on my stomach, all three of our releases on me. Their cum on me I can handle, but mine is something I hate. It just shows how much my body liked this, I felt betrayed by my own brain. I also take notice to the bruises on my waist and chest, I made the mistake of swearing and speaking out of term when they were being too rough, but luckily we were able to take some break. The few times when we took a break they started talking to me about their Peacekeeper jobs. The most important thing Finnick told me was to pay close attention to what the customer said when they talked. I've learned a few things through this business about dear old Snow and some of the Peacekeepers in the Capitol.

But tonight I learned some secrets about the other districts, they were planning on increasing security in all the districts. Even the career districts were going to feel the wrath of the Capitol. An uprising was beginning in some of the districts and it was all due to me and Katniss, I think that was the worse part about tonight. Copper gets up and goes into the bathroom while Kriggs followed suite. Copper came back into the room with a small damp towel in his hands, he throws it at me "Clean yourself up and you may leave. You're services aren't needed anymore." he says with his commander like tone, then he returns to the bathroom. I take the towel and wipe the sweat off my face, I was able to slow my breathing down. I got up off the bed and I wipe the rest of my body, finding red marks, bruises and cum all over my body. I couldn't help but feel disgusted with myself. I'm disgusted how weak I am and how powerless these monsters made me feel. My eyes started to water, but I refused to cry in this house. I wanted to get away from here as soon as possible. I finish and pick up the pile of my clothes. I quickly dress myself and rush out. I walked towards the train station, relying on my memory to guide me. It's the middle of the night and it's chilly, all I could do was shake and hug myself.

Never have I felt so defiled and abused. As I'm walking I can feel how soar my body is and how pained I am. All the bruises on my body were still fresh and raw, the ones that hurt the most were the ones on my waste, my freaking belt was rubbing against them. God, it's like I can still feel their hands still on me, isn't it bad enough that I still have the taste of them in my mouth? Damn them, damn them for having the will to do this. I quicken my pace when the station is in eyeshot. I make it to the entrance and I can see the conductor leaning against the train with a cigarette in his mouth. "Finally you're back, they told me I had to wait for you. I'll be departing in five minutes then." I just nod and walk in, I make it to my room and lock the door behind me. I quickly strip off my clothes and throw them into the trash, I don't want anything reminding of tonight. I go into the bathroom and enter the shower, I hit any scent so the water can just turn on. As the water is hitting me I slowly slide down the shower wall, I run my hands over my face, avoiding the big dark blue bruise on my face, and through my hair and start to sob uncontrollably. Images of tonight start filling my head while the scent of lime fills my nose.

I hate everything, I hate how awful I feel, I hate myself for not dying in the Games, I hate the Capitol for treating us like we were just toys they can whore around, but at the moment I hate the monsters Copper and Kriggs the most. They just did whatever they felt like doing to me, I took every hit, did every position and moaned out their names whenever they told me too. At least when I put on a good show for Capitol people, we were done within an hour or two. But these two, those fucking pigs had a huge sexual appetite. I finally stopped sobbing, but I started shaking. I picked my head up and leaned it against the clear wall of the shower, letting the water to hit the front part of my body. I winced when the force of the water started to hurt some of the bruises. I got up and lowered the pressure from 'reguler' to 'gentle rain.' I also raised the heat, but no matter how high the temperature, I still felt cold.

After what feels like 20 minutes I finally force myself to stop shaking and rub myself down gently to properly clean myself. I turn off the water and step onto the drying platform. I turn to leave but not without getting a good look at myself in the wall mirror. I see myself, my hair is plastered over my forehead, my eyes are red, my body is black, blue, and red all over. You can see hand marks on my arms and waist, and my wrists were still red and hot. I start shaking again, but this time out of anger, I get sick of seeing me and I grab the ceramic toothbrush holder and whip at the the mirror with a loud growl. The bathroom is filled with the sound of the mirror crashing and the pieces falling on the floor. I walk out and look for some underwear and pajamas. There's frantic knocking on the door and I go over to open it. A red haired Avox is giving me a worried look. She tries to look over my shoulder towards the bathroom, but I say something before she does anything "Is there anything here for bruises? Or at least something for soar skin?" She nods her head and walks off into the next compartment, I close the door and go over to my bed to lay down. I grab the pillow and hold it tightly against my chest and bury my face into the side of it. I try to think of good things like baking, and Joanna, and Finnick... Finnick! I realize the train is moving, the conductor must have departed when I was in the shower. This means I'll be in District 4 in a few hours, then I'll be with Finnick. Oh God, I really need to see him, the only two people I can talk about this are Joanna and Finnick and I can really use them. And this visit is suppose to be when Finnick and me finally start a relationship. I sigh and allow myself a small feeling of contentment.

I'm ripped out of my thoughts when I hear knocking on the door, I exit my pillow "It's open, come in." The female Avox enters the room with two ointment bottles in her hands. She hands them to me "Thank you for this. The mirror in the bathroom accidentally broke. I'll use the one in the hall in the morning." She nods and starts to leave "Goodnight, I'm sorry for waking you." She looks confused at my apology but smiles, she nods again and leaves the room. I take off my shirt and decipher which ointment is for what. I figure it out and uncap one and rub the medicine on my bruises, then I uncap the other one and rub some of it on my wrists. I lower my pants and rub some on and around my entrance, there is where it hurts the most. I cap both tubes and place them on my night stand. I put on my shirt and lay back down, I can feel the medicine working by the cooling of my skin. I lay my head and try to sleep, I fill my mind with images of the bruises disappearing and seeing Finnick's green eyes.


	4. a wonderful wonderful

A/N: For the some of you who are following this story, I want you guys to know that I have rewritten chapters 2 and 3. I reread them and saw all the grammatical and typing errors I made. Plus, it all seemed rushed to me, but I blame that on my ambitious nature towards writing this story. Thank you all for following me after all this and taking the time to review. Please reread the rewritten chapters and let me know if it's an improvement. And for everyone else who just started reading, enjoy chapter 4!

I'm walking down the hall of Snow's mansion. I was called down right after the doctors said I was all healed up and ready to leave. I was luckily able to keep my leg, but not without a deep scar to remind me of my time in hell. Two white clad forms called Peacekeepers are on either side of me, leading me towards Snow's office. Thoughts are running through my head as to why Snow would want only me, where's Katniss? Was she okay? I haven't been allowed to see her since we won. We make it to a pair of giant doors that I can only assume is the President's office. One of the Peacekeepers knocks on the doors "Enter" I here I gruff voice from the other side call out. The Peacekeeper opens the door and the other pushes me in. I stumble in and they both leave the President and me alone. "Hello Mr. Mellark, I see you have been healing quite nicely." I stand up straight "Yes Mr. President, your Capitol has very advanced medicine." he gets up and looks out the window behind him "Yes, the Capitol has a very advanced group of Doctors and medical researchers. I make it a point to make sure that all my citizens are well educated. However, it is a fragile system we all must work within the Capitol ." I give a confused look, what is he trying to tell me "Fragile system?" "Yes, Mr. Mellark. And it is because of this system that I try to maintain a status quo for all of Panem. Even the tributes playing in the Hunger Games." my heart starts to race even faster, now I know why he called me here.

"And you must know that you have disrupted that status quo with that clever trick with the berries" "Mr. President, you must kno-" he cuts me off "And something that disrupts this should be punished." I could barely hear him with my heart in both my ears and my stomach. He's going to kill me or torture me. Either way, I'm never leaving the Capitol and I'm never going to see my family again. My legs start to shake and my breath is caught in my throat. I look down, but I can hear him walking over to the other side of the room "You see Mr. Mellark, whenever an attractive tribute like you becomes a victor, my citizens would pay anything to meet you." I look up, now I'm lost. "Sometimes they are even willing to pay an exuberant amount of money for your services" I give him another confused look "M-My services?" That's when I notice that he is standing in front of another set of doors in the room. He opens one of them "Mr. Hinton, please come in." A man with black hair and blue eyes enters the room. He looks to be in his late 20s. "Mr. Mellark, this is Mr. Hinton, the remainder of your stay will be with him." they both shake hands and the man named Mr. Hinton walks up to me. My body is frozen, I'm too afraid to move. When he's at my side he wraps an arm around my shoulder and shoots me a smile, I feel my body tense up. Now I know what my services are.

I jerk up into a sitting position while gasping for air, I feel like I've been drowning. I look around the room trying to get my bearings, mostly to convince myself that I wasn't in Snow's office or Hinton's apartment. I feel the gentle sway of the train as it twists and turns through the outside landscapes. I groan as I cover myself with my hands and I slowly fall back down on my pillow. The nightmare plays through my head. Mr. Hinton… he was my first customer. I remember he told me that he was one of the richest men in the Capitol and that he payed top dollar to make sure he had me while I was a virgin. He soon became a regular. I'm taken out my thoughts by knocking at the door "Peeta wake up! It's a big, big day! The conductor just told us that we will be at District 4 in 20 minutes, so get dressed and eat some breakfast." I hear her heels clicking away from my door. I sigh, lift the covers, and swing my legs off the bed. I lift my arms and crack some of my resting bones. I get up and walk over to the bathroom, I'm still soar all over, but my lower backside seems to be fine due to the ointment. I walk into the bathroom and look at myself in the wall, that's when I notice that there isn't shattered glass everywhere.

There's a replacement mirror up, there's even a new ceramic toothbrush holder. One of the Avoxes must have fixed everything while I was asleep, damn they're quiet. I'm a pretty light sleeper. I take off my shirt and examine my skin, the red and blue marks on my skin have vanished. Even the the really dark one that was on my cheek. I lower my pants a little to look at my waste, the bruises there are gone too. My eyes weren't red anymore and my hair was a mess, probably form moving around too much during sleep. I fix my pants and put my shirt back and do my morning routines. I walk out and look for something to wear until theres more knocking at the door. I answer it and I'm met with the female Avox from last night, she has clothes in her arms "Oh, it's you. Uhm, thank you for fixing my mirror. It was you, right?" She looks up at me and nods "I'm sorry I broke it." she looks confused at my apology and smiles. I smile too "And thanks again for the medicine" she gives me another silent nod , then she sticks out her arms, gesturing for me to take the clothes. I take them and she bows and scurries away into another car.

I lay the clothes on the bed, a simple blue button up and some khaki pants. There's more knocking on the door "Peeta, it's Portia. May I come in?" "Yea" I call out. The yellow haired woman walks in with a matching yellow dress adorned with seashells. She takes a seat on the bed and looks at the clothes. "I got to design this shirt myself, I convinced Cinna that the black and grey was becoming a bit much." she said as she lifts the shirt and feels the fabric. "I'm really excited about this piece. I thought of you when I was designing it, but unfortunately for you, since there's only so much time until we reach the district, we won't be able to wash and shave you. So I apologize in advance if you don't do each other justice."

Oh Portia, trust me, I'm not devastated. "Now, let's get you out of this and into these." she tells me and I strip into my boxer briefs, she's seen me in the nude plenty of times so I'm okay being this exposed to her. I put on the pants and she helps me with the button up. She buttons everything and starts rolling up the sleeves. The inside part of the sleeves have small dancing blue flames. "Whoa" I pick up my arm to look at the small flames closely. Portia starts to giggle "Why thank you. There're small lights all over the inside of your shirt sleeves and on the bottom of your shirt." I look down and there were small flames on the parts of my shirt that were suppose to be tucked in. "This district is more of a vacation spot for some of the lower Capitol citizens who can't afford to go to the real beach sights, so I convinced Cinna to let you guys be a little more casual here."

After a few more adjustments to the clothing and styling my hair, we both exit and get some breakfast. Katniss has been in wardrobe for the past hour so I'm grateful that it only took Portia and I a few minutes. Soon, Katniss enters with a matching blue sundress with the same blue flames on the bottom of it, her hair is down and she has some make up on. "You were out late." she comments as she takes a seat next to me, I just shrug "I met another victor during my tour, we spent the night at the bar." she rolled her eyes, she's convinced I'm slowly turning into a smaller Haymitch. "You should consider staying a night somewhere, these people are going to be mentors with us for the next few years." I can tell she was considering it, but this is the same person who only had one real friend in the past decade.

"So I'm guessing you're going to stay in 4 tonight then?" I nod my head, if I could I would spend the whole week here. "I met Finnick Odair at the Capitol when we won, he's pretty cool." she gives me a confused look "A Career?" I pause putting a danish in my mouth, I never thought of Finnick as being a Career, but I guess there was a reason he won at age 14. "He isn't like the other Careers when you get to know him." she just nods, I don't know if she believes me or not. Before I can mull it over, Effie comes sparkling into the dining area "We'll be in the District four station in just a few minutes everyone, so Peeta, Katniss, put that food down and clean your teeth before we leave." Katniss rolls her eyes and groans as she gets up and I just silently make my way over to my room. I just gargle some mouth wash and look at my teeth, they looked fine. I walk aback into the dining room and Haymitch and Effie are already there. A few seconds later Katniss joins us "Now everyone, remember to smile and wave to everyone. They are excited to see all of us." I see Katniss and Haymitch roll their eyes and I giggle at them. The train stops and we're met with applause once the door opens.

We did our little song and dance for the Capitol cameras and were received great accolade. Good, nothing seems wrong with this district, one less to worry about. All of us are in the Mayor's waiting hall by the entrance, I had just made the request to stay and they were processing the papers, but it was taking longer than usual. The doors open and everyone turns around "PEETA!" Finnick makes a run from the entrance to me in under a second, the sound of his sandals echoing through the giant hall. He gives me a lung constricting hug and I return it with ha happy groan. He lets go of me and I give him a rib cracking hug as well, making him have a happy groan too. "It's about time you made it." he says after I let go of him. "I'm sorry, but Joanna would have killed me if I didn't stay the night with her." I reply with a smile on my face. "And what about at 5?" I felt my body go cold, what do I say? "I made some friends, you know how business like that goes." business, hopefully he'll take the hint.

I see his face drop for a quick moment, he understands what I mean, but he quickly puts a smile back on "Well at least you're here now. C'mon let's get you to my house." I feel the heat return to my body, I even start to laugh. It feels good to have someone that wasn't a customer so enthusiastic to see me. "Haha, wait a second, we were waiting for the Mayor to give us the okay. And I have to get some clothes from the train." he was pulling me by my arm and wasn't slowing down. A Peacekeeper by the entrance gets in front of us "They haven't been granted stay yet. Odair, let go of Mellark and remain seated." Finnick slides to a stop and lets me go. "Now now boys, mind your manners. Listen to what the officer said." Effie says as she approaches while wagging her finger disapprovingly. "And Peeta, I don't approve of you wrinkling you outfit after Portia and Cinna have slaved over them." she said as she starts trying to smooth out the creases on my shirt. "Awh c'mon Effie, boys will be boys. Leave them be." Haymitch slurs to Effie. She retaliates by lecturing him on common curtesy and following orders.

I lean against the wall by Katniss and Finnick stands in front of her. "Well if isn't the girl on fire. It's a pleasure meeting you." he says while grabbing her hand and lifting it up to his mouth. She quickly smacks it away from his and places it back to her side, shooting him a deadly glare "Oh, fire inside and out." he smugly smiles at her and leans on the wall in between us. She crosses her arms and looks away from him "Finnick be nice." I say to him, they're both close to me and I don't want Katniss hating him because he's an ass. He chuckles to himself while reaching into his back pocket and takes out pieces of what I think is candy. He unwraps one and places it in his mouth, "Awh, don't be mad at me girl on fire. Here." he offers her some candy "I'll let you have a piece of some of my candy if you forgive me." she eyes the candy and then him. She grabs a piece and looks at it closely. He then turns around to me and offers me some "It's salt water taffy, a District 4 delicacy." I take one and unwrap and place it in my mouth. I've never even heard of taffy.

I start to chew on it and Katniss follows suite. You can see the distaste on Katniss' face as she chews "What is this made of?" she asks as pieces of taffy make it difficult for her to open her mouth. Finnick starts to laugh at her, she of course replies with a glare. She hates being laughed at. "It's just sugar and salt. It's hard to chew but it tastes really good." he turns over to me while Katniss tries to pick at the taffy in her mouth "What about you boy on fire? You like the candy?" I shake my head "That's not my nickname, only Katniss gets called that." the taffy making it difficult for me to speak as well. The hell is this, edible rubber? "Hmph, why don't you get to be on fire? You're obviously hot enough." I feel my cheeks turn red at his comment, he starts laughing again at my reaction. Before I have the chance to say anything the Mayor enters the room. "I just got off the phone with the Capitol, they informed me that since Peeta has already requested two stays that a third one would just delay the trip too much. So, if you may please return to the train I would appreciate it."

I felt my heart drop to my stomach and the disheartened look on Finnick's face was evident. "Mr. Watermen, isn't there some way we can convince them to let these guys stay?" I hear Finnick ask as he gets off the wall and approaches the Mayor. It looks like the Mayor is about to deny him but Finnick gives him the saddest look he can muster. He gives us that same stupid look whenever he tries to convince Joanna to go to a new bar or when he wants me to go to a club; he always gets us to go with that damn look. The Mayor sighs "You guys can try to convince them, but I doubt Snow would change his mind." he leads Finnick, Effie and me into his office upstairs and he calls the Capitol again. "Mayor Watermen for a request-to-stay approval." he's silent for a few seconds "Yes Mr. President, I'm sorry to bother you again but I have Finnick Odair, Peeta Mell-" it sounds like he's cut off "Yes I will" he takes the phone away from his ear and looks at us "Effie, Finnick, do you mind stepping out for a minute." Finnick gives me a worried look and Effie looks confused, but they both head out the door, "Peeta, the President would like to talk to you." he hands the phone to me and he gets up to walk out the door. "Hello?" "Mr. Mellark, I hear that you would like to stay another night in a district." I gulp "Yes Mr. President, the culture here is much different than that of my district. I would really appreciate it if I was allowed the chance to stay."

I can feel my hands start to clam up. "Well you see, Mr. Mellark, having you stay at a district for the night costs money. I mean, I would have to pay your stylists, the conductor, and Effie for an extra night. That doesn't include all the maintenance to be done to the train. Unless you are able to pay for all this, this delay doesn't look financially possible." I feel my heart drop lower than my stomach, all I want to do is spend the day with Finnick, and he knows it. He just likes playing with people like this "Oh wait, I think there is a deal we might be able to make." I hear him say on the other line, I can even hear that damn smile form through the phone. "I have a few very good fans of yours that would enjoy your company when you make it to the Capitol." this man is sick, I know exactly what he's going to offer me "How about this, you can stay for two nights and all you have to do is keep Mrs. Tunt company during the party and Mr. Bakes company during his wife's business trip to one of the districts." a beed of sweat drips from my forehead to the floor, I'm now realizing how hot this district is. I get to stay with Finnick even longer, but that goes the same with one of the customers. "How long would Mrs. Bakes be gone?" "Well, that's all up to district now is it." my grip around the phone tightens, I can hear the plastic groan from where the back and front pieces meet.

If I stay then I would have stay with a customer for an unknown amount of time, but what are the chances I would still have business with Bakes whether I stay or not?"So, do we have an agreement Mr. Mellark?" I sigh "Yes we do." I hear him chuckle on the other side "Good, now please put Mr. Watermen on the line." and with that I place the phone down and go over to the door. "Mayor Watermen, the President would like to speak to you." he nods and returns into his office, I'm greeted with a worried look from Effie and Finnick, but I just shoot them a smile. "I was able to convince him to let us stay for two nights." I exclaim. Finnick has the biggest smile on his face and Effie claps her hands together "Well isn't that just splendid. Out of all the districts this one is my favorite, I'm so happy to hear this." Effie says before she turns around and walks down the stairs.

"This is fucking fantastic. How were you able to get him to let you stay?" I try to think of a quick excuse "Oh you know me, I was able to sweet talk all of Panem to fall in love with me and Katniss, Snow wasn't any different." he laughs and slaps my back "That's my baker bitch" I punch his arm and we walk downstairs. We wait downstairs for a minute and the Mayor enters the room "Well, looks like you guys will be staying for the next two nights." Finnick takes my arm again and leads me outside the building, leaving everyone inside. "Wait Finnick, I still have to get my clothes from the train." "Awh who needs clothes, there's a nude beach not too far from here. We'll just go there for now." I feel blood rush to my face again and other places. "Finnick, we're not doing that." he flashes me a toothy grin and lets go of me. "Fine, but I'm telling you now that you're not gonna need it. You're gonna have to buy yourself some swim shorts and shirts are an optional thing here."

We make our to the train station and I go into my room to retrieve my bag, but I find one already packed on my bed with a note. 'Don't bother trying to switch the clothing in here, I ordered the Avoxes to get rid if everything in the drawers and hide them. I refuse to have you dressed like a homeless person when walking around with the Finnick Odair. Everything is in here except a toothbrush. Love Portia.' I roll my eyes, if I looked homeless then, I wonder what I looked liked before I won the Games. I grab a toothbrush and walk into the dining area where I left Finnick, but I only find Katniss and Effie "Where's Finnick." "He's talking to Haymitch outside ." said Katniss as she's braiding her hair rubbing the make-up off her face. I thank her and walk towards the door "It's probably going to happen during the Quarter Quell, but I don't know all the details yet." that sounded like Haymitch's voice. Why were Finnick and him talking in a hushed tone? I hide behind the slightly open door "What should I do till then?" "Just keep your head low to the ground and wait until the Games. I should know everything by then and I tell you everything when all of us are at the Capitol again." Wait, what the hell? I decided to open the door and walk out. They both looked a little startled, but Finnick flashed me another toothy grin and Haymitch just walked past me and patted my back. "It's about time slow poke. Let's drop that crap off at my house and go to the beach." he says while leading me through the station.

"What were you and Haymitch talking about?" I ask, I can tell by the weird way he faltered a little that he wasn't expecting that, but he just smiles again. "He heard the liquor here is better than the other districts, so I was giving him directions to the distillery by the Village." he's lying to me and I don't know why, maybe I can get Haymitch to tell me after a few bottles on our way to District 3. "Oh okay, seems about right with Haymitch." I say with a smile, Finnick laughs and we make a b-line for the Village which wasn't too far. Since it was a Career district, there was a surplus of Victors here as well. "Finnick you're back, I was wondering why you went to the Tour." said a girl about the same age as Finnick. She was closing the door to her house and holding a pot of flowers. "Oh Annie it's you. Peeta, this is Annie, my best friend." she walks up to me and we shake hands. "Peeta is a friend of mine and decided to stay in the district for the next two nights." Finnick explains to Annie. "What are you doing with those flowers?" "Oh, these? I was delivering these to Mags, you know she loves yellow tulips."

Finnick sniffs the flowers and they both share a smile. "Well, I better get these to her before I start my other errands." Annie tells him, then she looks at me "It was really nice meeting you Peeta, and hopefully I'll get to meet Katniss too." she smiles at me and we split up. Finnick walks up the stairs of a house and opens it. I follow closely, I notice there's sand everywhere by the entrance. "Damn Finnick, can't you clean up after yourself?" Finnick is walking up the stairs "Screw you baker bitch. How about you be a good boy and clean up for me." the name good boy makes me remember Kriggs' warning from last night and I freeze. Calm down Peeta, you're with Finnick now, nothing bad is going to happen.

I walk upstairs and I find a room across from Finnick's vacant. "I hope you brought swim shorts cause we're going to the beach in a few minutes." I hear Finnick call from the other room. I flip my bag over and look through the clothes. What the hell? I pick up one of the swim shorts and place them against my legs, these damn things looks like women's underwear. What do they call these? Speedos? Finnick walks into the room and eyes the garment. "I like 'em" I roll my eyes "Of course you do" I throw them at him and he catches it with ease. "I'm serious, you should wear them." I ignore his remark and look through the rest of the clothes, I can't tell what's outside clothes, sleeping clothes, or beach clothes. I scratch my head "Portia, what the hell did you pack me?" Finnick laughs at me and takes a seat on the bed and rifles through my clothes. "Here, I'll help you" Finnick starts putting things in separate piles. "The pile with pants is regular clothing, the stuff with the white t-shirts are sleep wear, and this one is beach stuff." I make note of each pile, I grab the sleep pile and stuff everything in a drawer "Hey Peeta, when you said business at the Mayor's place, did you mean what I think you meant?"

I stare at the clothes in the drawer "Yea, after I left Joanna I got the call." I hear him get off the bed and walk up to me "Do you wanna talk about it?" he asks while placing a hand on my shoulder. Memories of last night flood my head again. I turn around and look in his green eyes, I feel mine start to water. "It was two Peacekeepers. The Capitol told me there was just one person, but I turned out to be a birthday gift." his eyes widened after hearing the word Peacekeepers. He gives me a hug and I bury myself into the crook of his neck. "Oh Peeta I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" he feels me nod my head on my shoulder "I'm just glad that they carry those skin ointments on the train." I feel him rub his hands on my back trying to comfort me. I start to silently sob into him. The hitting, the insults, the pain, it was all coming back.

"Hey c'mon now. You're with me now. I promise nothing bad will happen." I nod again "Now c'mon, let's get dressed and we can get something to eat by the beach. We'll let your mind relax and you can forget everything." he lifts me from his shoulder and gives me a toothy grin and wipes a tear off my cheek. I get myself to stop crying and I take his hands from my shoulders and hold them, "Thanks Finnick" his smile gets bigger "No problem. I'll let you get dressed." he turns around to leave and I pick through the beach clothes pile. I grab what I think is called a tank and a pair of swim shorts that were white with orange stripes going up the sides. The tank was black, but with a glittering orange flame that looked like it was licking my abdomen whenever I moved, the shorts stopped right above my knees. I didn't like it, but it's a lot better than the manties that were packed. I grab a pair of sandals and walk out into the hall where Finnick was wearing burgundy shorts and a dark blue button up, which was open of course. But damn, that man go naked an no one would complain.

He was fixing something on his hallway table, but when he turned around to look at me he looked shocked and had to grip the table to avoid tripping over his own two feet. "Oh crap are you okay." I say as I try to help him back up. "Yea, uhm, you just spooked me is all. C'mon I have a surprise waiting for you at the beach." "Oh a surprise? What is it?" he chuckles "Be a good a boy and you'll find out." I feel my jaw clench at the memory that name is associated with, but he laughs at my reaction. He probably thinks I'm being impatient. We go downstairs and I'm almost out the door until I remember something "Oh wait, Finnick. Joanna wanted me to call her when I made it to your house." I turn around and go to the phone in the living room.

I dial the necessary numbers "Hello?" I hear from the other side "Hey Joanna, it's Peeta. I'm with Finnick." "Peeta! I was wondering when I would hear from you. How are you guys?" I couldn't help but smile, it's great hearing her voice again. "We're good, we're about to go to the beach right now actually, apparently I have a surprise." I hear her gasp "Oh a surprise? You know what that means. Peeta, remember to use protection!" I slam the phone into the holder, ending the conversation. I walk to the entrance "What's with the face?" Finnick asked while taking a good look at me "Joanna's an ass like always." Finnick laughs and he leads me to where the beach is. I can't help but be amazed by the sights around the beach, the water was crystal blue and there were giant ships by the dock. People were bustling through the merchant stands and kids were running around playing with each other. The part that really put me through loop was that people here barely wear clothing, men were shirtless or had the open shirt thing going on like Finnick, and the women wore sleeveless shirts with shorts. Back home, everyone is always covered in dark clothing, even the city looked dark and grey because of all the coal dust in the air.

Everywhere we went people were always saying 'hi' or 'good day' to Finnick. Probably cause he's a well known Victor. Back home people just gawk at me and Katniss, we were a rarity in 12. "Don't look like a complete tourist Peeta." I hear Finnick say to me "I can't help it, everything back home is grey and dusty. It's so bright here, and people are walking around smiling." I feel him wrap his arm around me "I'm glad you like it here, because I have plan for us." I give him a questioning look "A plan?" he nods at me "Well you see, my dear baker," he pokes my nose at the name baker "anyone who has access to calling the Capitol has the ability to purchase anything from there." he tells me matter-of-factly. "And I, someone who has access to the Capitol, can buy you, someone of purchase." I roll my eyes at the condescending tone he has. "Don't you think they would catch on? I mean, it's obvious that we're friends. If they find out that you're just buying me to hang out don't you think they'd get pissed?" this time he gave me a weird look. "I doubt that they're paying that close attention to either of us to figure out something that small." I sigh and lightly take his arm off of me.

"But that's the thing Finnick, they are paying close attention to me. Two victors were never suppose to come out during the games, and Katniss and I accidentally caused a riot in District 11. Every little thing I do or say is scrutinized by Snow himself. And he probably knows that you and me are close, and if something happens to you because of me being hazardous, I won't be able to forgive myself." he soaks in every word I say, the concern evident on his face. Then he smirks at me "I don't care." I throw his arm I was holding "Well damn it Finnick, I care." he shrugs his shoulders and we walk through a gate with the sign 'Victor's Beach' written on it. "Well like I said, I don't. Let me worry about you and me, and you can worry about bread." I groan, why is he so damn difficult "That's not how this is going to work Finnick. "Well we'll see when you're on that train coming to District 4." I throw my hands up in defeat, once he gets his mind set on something, there's no swaying him.

"So stop being a baker bitch and hurry up, I wanna show you your surprise." he picks up his pace through the sand. I finally notice that the beach was empty, I guess the name of the beach says it all. "Do the other Victors come here often?" he shakes his head "Sometimes, but they prefer the public beaches since more people are actually there." we walk a little bit more until we see a small cave coming up. "You're surprise is in there, in David's Cave." I run and push him out my way. I look back and he's startled at first but then he starts laughing with me and he runs after me. I enter and a few feet away I see a blanket laid out on the floor and a pair of unlit candles.

He tackles me to the ground but twists himself so that I land on top of him "You thought that was cute baker bitch?" we roll around for a few minutes, trying to pin the other down. He eventually won, he pinned both hands over my head and was sitting on my waist. It wasn't the fact that he was sitting on my crotch or that I have a perfect view of his 'v' or defined 6 pack that had my heart rattling my rib cage. It's those eyes that are staring right into mine. Those beautiful sea green eyes that people pay hundreds of dollars to just spend the night.

He stands up and extends his arm, "C'mon" he helps me up and we make our way to the blanket. We sit down "Close your eyes" I close them and cross my legs, I hear him moving around until I feel something placed around my neck "Okay, open them." I look down and I see there's a necklace made out of shells, I pick it up and put it in front of me. I turn it right side up and read the letters 'PM.' I rub my thumbs across it, feeling every ridge and crevice, then I trace the letters. "Finnick, I don't know what to say." it was something made by him, the most expensive gift from the Capitol could never match this. "Just tell me that you like it." he says behind me. "I love it." I feel him wrap his arms around me and his chin on my shoulder. "I'm glad." we stay like this for a few moments, the sounds of the waves crashing reverberates throughout the cave walls. The smell of Finnick's cologne fills my nostrils while I stare at the simple masterpiece in my hand.

I feel him let go and get up, I instantly miss his warmth. "Let's go into the water, when it gets dark we can come back here and eat." he says while slipping off his shirt and throwing it towards the basket I haven't noticed till now. I get up too and lift up the tank and the necklace lands on my chest with a 'thump.' I throw it with Finnick's shirt and I turn towards him, he's staring at me. "What?" I ask, he shakes his head and smiles at me "Just making an observation." I roll my eyes and smile. "And what observation is that?" I start to make my way out the small cave "Lately I've been getting less business, now I know why." I push him again and we make our way across the beach. I walk into the water but stopped until it was mid thigh. "What is it?" Finnick asked me. "I don't know how to swim." he looks confused for a second and starts laughing at me. I feel my face go red and I splash water at him "Screw you." "I'm sorry, it's just that here, kids learn how to swim before they walk." he says between fits of laughter. "Don't you guys have a lake or something you can swim in?" I shake my head no, I only know a of a pond I heard Katniss talk about one, but it's outside the gates. Then he comes to my side, holding my lower back and stomach. "Here, I'll teach you. Just turn over and we'll practice how to float."

We spend the next two hours practicing how to swim. The first hour was filled with me choking on water and freaking out whenever I felt Finnick's hand slip away from my lower back. But eventually I was able to stay afloat and we practiced strokes. After awhile my arms were on fire and I was able to slowly swim over to the shore. I laid back on the sand, propped up by my elbows, and I stare at the sunset across the ocean. I look over and see Finnick looking at me "Making another observation?" he walks over and sits by me "I can see why you've been worth so much lately." "If that's a compliment, it's a really shitty way of expressing it." he chuckles at my comment and lays on his back. I turn to him "So how much do I cost exactly?" I'd be lying if I said I was never curious. He shrugs "It all depends, they can charge by the hour or by the night and by what we would be doing." "so what if someone just wants me for a party?" he sighs "Let's see, if they don't plan on having sex with you and they were just going to have you for a few hours for the party. So by the hour I think you would be around $330 an hour. If there was sex I would say$500ish" I shot up from where I was laying "Holy shit! $330 an hour? That's so much!" the bakery was lucky to make $15 a day. $330 an hour is basically a gold mine back home.

"And how much am I for the night?" he shrugged again "$750 last time I checked, but it goes up and down. You have been going up for a while." I seat myself back down next to Finnick, I think about all the customers I've had and the nights and hours I spent with them. The money they threw around just to be with me. Would they still want me after I married Katniss? Would that increase my value, since it would be harder to get me? "What are you thinking?" I hear Finnick ask, without turning I answer "Would I gain or lose value after I marry Katniss?" this time he jumped up "Wait, what did you say?" oh shit, I forgot he didn't know. Damn, how can I be stupid "Peeta, answer me." I can hear the anger start to form in his voice. "When I have my interview with Flickermen, I'm announcing to Panem our engagement." I say as I get up and stand in front of him. He looked like someone just punched him on the cheek, he's trying to absorb all of this "Do you love her?" I'm taken aback by this "Of course I don't, you know that." he closes the gap and puts his hands on my shoulders "Then why the fuck are you marrying her?" he says her like it had a bad taste to it.

"There was a small uprising in 11 due to me and Katniss. And the Peacekeepers from last night told me that they were adding more security in all the districts. If I marry her, then it might calm the nation down." he thinks for a few more seconds and he dropped himself into a seating position with his head down, causing some sand to rise up. "You're not marrying her." I sigh and sit down in front of him. "Please don't be upset. I have to do this to protect ever-" "Fuck everyone else! If you marry her, then, then, then I won't go!" I crossed my arms, now he's getting me mad "Finnick, don't be child. We're talking about the fate of the other districts." it took less than a second for Finnick to pin me down on my back "I'd rather let the districts burn down. What if you find someone else you love? What if in the future you want to marry someone else?" I can feel my whole body get hot with anger "Ok then, answer me this! If I find the person I love then what? What would we do if the Capitol starts putting more Peacekeepers and security? What do I tell them when every week I'm at the Capitol fucking someone? What do I tell them when I get strange calls from the Capitol telling me to dye my hair and wear the tightest clothing possible, or cat ears, or a miner's outfit; and then not return for days on end? Or how about when I come home with fucking bruises and hickeys all over my body when the train decides to not supply ointment anymore?"

My teeth hurt from my jaw being clenched tightly and I can feel the tears streaming from my eyes, I wasn't sure if it was from the anger or the realization that this is what my life has been for the past few months. "So excuse me if finding love or marrying the right person isn't a priority at the moment, but I have bigger things to worry about." We're looking into each other's eyes and I can see the anger behind those seas of green. All I can hear are the waves crashing and us seething with anger "You're not excused." "Fuck yo-" I feel his lips crash onto mine full force. He lets go of my hands and run them through my hair and I do the same to him. His tongue plays with mine while we roll around in sand, moaning in each other's mouth. I couldn't tell you why I didn't try fighting him or pulling away. I know this is wrong, I know that I shouldn't be doing this. I have the fate of the whole country in my hands and here I am making out with Finnick Odair when I should be doing this with Katniss, my future bride. I feel selfish, I'm turning my back on everything and everyone, but I've wanted this so badly.

We finally separate and all we can do is stare at each other's eyes again and pant. "We can't do this." his only reply was kissing my lips and then trailing down to the shell of my ear. He whispers "I don't care" and kisses my neck, hitting that sweet spot that makes me squirm and moan. I rake my nails down his back and he growls into my neck. "Finnick stop before someone sees us." he attacks my lips again before he replies "It's a Wednesday afternoon on a private beach. I can set the beach on fire while having an orgy and nobody would bat a damn eyelash." I try to roll my eyes at the imagery but they were already rolled up due to his tongue slowly going from my clavicle to my naval. "Fuck, Finnick. Please." I can feel his teeth grazing against my skin "Please what?" he asks in between kisses he's leaving across my waistline. I finally muster the strength to roll over and pull myself away from him.

I sit up and wipe the spit form my chin and on my abdomen, he does the same "You know you piss me off sometimes." I look at him incredulously "Excuse me? I piss you off?" "I spoke to Joanna when you left her house, she told me how you have this martyr complex. I didn't believe her, but then I remembered your game. You'd rather die like a dog in a cave than let anything bad happen to her. Then I finally realized it when you admitted that you'd rather roll over and marry her and throw your life away than do something for yourself." oh so Joanna tells him everything but my engagement? "Why can't you let someone else take care of you for once?" Finnick crawls up to me and gives me a hug. "you know, I was like you, when Snow started selling me, I felt like I didn't matter, I was only worth what my price was. I felt like I had to do everything in my power to make everyone else happy. But now you're putting the weight of Panem on your shoulders so now you're stuck.." His words sick in a little bit, but he doesn't realize what's at stake. I'm doing this so I can be safe too. I feel him hug me tighter and I lightly return it "Believe it or not, you don't have to fight the Capitol all on your own." he takes my chin and lifts my head and he kisses me, it's gentle this time.

We separate, but it's only a few millimeters apart "Tell me you don't have feelings for me, and I'll drop this whole thing." I can feel the shell necklace leaving a mark on my chest we were so close. "I still have to marry Katniss." I can feel his lips turn into a smile against mine, I didn't realize that my eyes were closed. "As long as you don't consummate the marriage, it's not a real partnership." we kiss again and our tongues immediately fight for dominance. He won but I immediately let go "They're probably going to have the wedding at the Capitol."i can feel his hands feeling up and dawn my abdomen "They won't let you two see each other until the day of. I'll be your best man so I'm forced to be with you as much as possible." "And my honeymoon?" I feel him trail down my neck again "Vacation here at the beach. They'll set you up at the Village and you can come over my house anytime when the cameras are gone." we separate and I hold the shell necklace in my hand, looking at 'FO' I didn't notice before.

"So what do we do now? We can only see each other so often?" we both lay back down and stare at the still setting sun "I was thinking maybe keep you Monday through Wednesday, that way the trains are operating more often. I'll even request for you to wear certain things so they would think I'm just an average customer. Then you could buy me for the rest of the week." I shake my head, feeling it dig into the sand "No not me, two people buying each other back and forth is too obvious." he turns over to look at me "Haymitch?" I think about it and look at him "I don't want to risk it, it might still be too close. Maybe Madge?" "Who's Madge?" I look back at the sunset "Madge Undersee, she's the mayor's daughter, but she's the same age as me. That could raise some flags."

"Maybe I can get Annie or maybe Mags to buy you, it'll be under her name and then one of you three can buy me." I mull it over, who would be the better person to buy him? Katniss is in deeper waters than I am, but she doesn't really know him so the Capitol might not know any better. Haymitch can go either way, he could be pissed that I might be rocking the boat with having Finnick come every week, or he might be too drunk to care. "You know this is nuts right?" he turns to me, smiles, then shrugs "But you're worth it, so I don't care" I roll my eyes and smile "Of course you don't." we both chuckle and he scoots over "Come here" he says and he guides me to lay on his shoulder. We both stare in silence at the sunset as it becomes twilight.


	5. all the bright stars

After our little escapade on the beach we eventually retreated back into the cave. He lit the candles and took out food from the basket. There's bunch of little sandwiches and exotic fruit I've never seen before, I pick one up "What is this?" Finnick looks at the brown hairy egg in my hand "That's a kiwi, here, cut it open." he hands me a knife and I cut it in half. I'm met with mush and I sniff it first before I take a bite "Whoa, this is good." I take a deeper bite and start on the other half. I hear Finnick laughing "You're so adorable." I look at him and look away, I can feel my face blushing. "I'm surprised you've never had a kiwi before. I always see it on cakes and pastries." I look at the remains of the kiwi "Fruit from 12 is hard to find, it's more rare if it's not from our district. If we would put any on a cake it would be too expensive to sell."

I start to remember being a baker before becoming a victor, we were constantly hungry due to all the food staring at us when no one would by them. My family was forced to eat stale bread and scooping off moldy frosting from old pastries. But when I won, we were able to bake stuff for ourselves and goods for the bakery. We would even donate the stale stuff, but it had to be out the back door. The Peacekeepers aren't too big of fans of donations. Finnick brings me out of my thoughts when I feel him rubbing some kiwi off my cheek. The rest of our stay in the cave was us eating silently and smiling whenever the other would catch the other staring. It was weird, this comfortable silence. All of this felt right for some reason, the cave, his company, the silence. It's like the world was at piece, at least for these moments; there wasn't anything bad in the world. Was it wrong that the peace unnerved me?

We both finish eating and pack up, we both put on our tops and exit the cave. I look at the cave and I remember the name "Who's David" Finnick looks confused and turns to see where I'm staring "Back in the Dark Days, there was this man named David. During the war, he had this lover that he would do anything for, and I mean anything. Legend has it that he took down a whole platoon on his own because one of the soldiers grazed his lover with a bullet." we exit the beach through the gates "Were they both soldiers?" Finnick nodded his head "Back then, everyone had to be a soldier. But David did everything he could so his lover would stay all the way in the back, away from the action. He even made a deal with the captain for him to be placed in the front lines so his lover would be placed in the home front. But the lover wasn't having any of that, she'd rather die with him in battle than be stuck at home waiting for him."

We walk through the streets and I try to play the story through my head, I've never heard a love story like this "So what did he do?" "He did the only thing he could think of to keep the lover at home, he convinced her the he didn't love her." I whipped my head at him, shocked "That's not fare. What did he do?" Finnick just shrugged "Like I said, he would do anything to protect her, even if it meant losing her. And, well, she believed him. David went out into battle and the lover stayed home".

"But he came back, right? He explained everything to her." Finnick shook his head "It's just a little kid legend so there're different endings to the story. The one I was told is that the lover left town and ended up in another district when the Capitol created the boundaries. Other people say that the lover found another man. Some say they found each other and lived happily ever after." I like the last ending the most. At least they would have been able to stay together even after the war. "What does the cave had to do with anything?" "Oh yea, well it turns out that David was already married before the war started. They got married to save face for their families, but there wasn't anything between them. That's why the lover was just a lover, but since everyone in town knew he was married, they were meet in secret at that cave."

We walk through the dark streets in silence and I feel his hand hold mine and I look at him "You know, I never said I had feelings for you." I smirk when I see him raise an eyebrow "No you didn't, but you never said you don't have feelings for me. And your boner that was rubbing against me on the beach kinda gives you away." he gave me a smug smirk. I let go of his hand "I don't remember that, it was probably some drift wood that caught in between us from rolling around." Finnick scoffed "It was wood alright." I rolled my eyes and then felt him wrap an arm around my waist. "Ow, damn, what the hell?" he jumps, letting go of me and I lift my tank. Under the moon light it looks, red? I lift it up more to examine my chest and abs. I poke myself and jerk at the sting "It's a sunburn dingis." I let go of my tank and give him an incredulous look "Sunburn?" he nods "When your skin is exposed to the sun for too long it can burn your skin. C'mon, I have something for that at home." Luckily, the Village wasn't far and we made it into his house.

He takes me upstairs and I take a seat on his bed. He goes into the bathroom and comes in with a tube, and shirtless. He takes a seat behind and tells me to lift my arms, he gently lifts the tank over my hand and threw it to the side. I feel him rub the ointment on my back and I jerk forward "Stop being a baker bitch." "Screw you." it stings a little at first, but I can feel my back start to feel cool. Then I feel his hands cross over to my front, I fist the bed sheet and try not to focus on how good this felt. He finishes by rubbing my shoulders and forearm. He wraps his arms around me and starts kissing my neck "Finnick, wait." "We're behind closed doors, you don't have any excuses." he doesn't stop and I bite my lip to stop myself from moaning. He slowly turns me over and sets me down to lay on my back. He sits on my waist and his elbows are at my sides so his hands can play with my hair.

"You still haven't said you don't have feelings for me." I let my hand glide up his side "And what if I don't?" he smirks and kisses me "Then I guess I have driftwood on my bed then." I feel my semi rub against him, damn my body. "Well that's the head that doesn't have the brains, I'm not responsible for it." he laughs at my comment and rolls over so we're both on our backs, looking at each other. "You know, some would call you a masochist." I raise an eyebrow "A masochist?" he nods "You're hurting yourself by not letting yourself have what you want." great, this conversation again "It's not that I'm doing it to hurt myself, I'm doing it so I don't hurt anyone else. I'm hazardous to people's health." I prop myself on my elbows "Ima go take a shower, this medicine smells like aloe vera and crap." I get up and walk out for the hallway bathroom, but before I go through the door Finnick calls me "When you're finished, can you come back in here? For tonight?" I nod and go to my room to collect some clothes. Whenever I'm in bed it's either alone or with a customer, this could be a good change.

After I finish off on the drying platform I slip on a white t-shirt and some sleep shorts over my boxer briefs. I throw my other clothes through the open door of my room and walk into Finnick's room. He was laying on his back with just a pair of black and white briefs on, hands under his head and legs crossed. "Real subtle Finnick" I say as I go to lay next to him. He gives me a shit eating grin "What?" "You look like the beginning of a porno." he jumped into a seating position "And what do you know about pornos?" …shit… "That's not important, it's bed time." he gives a throaty laugh "Aw uh, only Victors and Peacekeepers have access to pornos in the districts. So you must have started recently." I pinch the bridge of my nose "Okay detective, you caught me. Turn off the lights and go to sleep." he got up and sat on me "My my my, I would have never guessed little baker bitch liked to play with himself when the family's away." he gasped "What are you into?" "Finnick, don't be gross. And get off of me." he gets more comfortable sitting on my stomach "Answer my question or no one's going to sleep."

I huff and don't answer him "Okay fine, I'll just guess. So you're a baker, is it those foodie ones?" I roll my eyes, great association skills. "No, is it buff guys?" "Finnick stop guessing and go to sleep." he rubs his chin "That one's a maybe. Oh, it's those really violent one." he exclaims as he grabs my nipple and twists it roughly. I try to rip his arm off with one hand and punch his shoulder with the other. He laughs and lets go, rubbing where I punched him and lays down by my side. "Horse's ass." I say glaring at him, he smiles and shrugs. "Oh I know, you're into those really gentle ones with a boring plot." he says while brushing away a strand of hair from my face. "Awe, that's kinda sweet." I scoff "Blow me." I turn over and I feel his arm wrap around me "All you need to do is ask, and pay a few hundred bucks." he chuckles, I turn over "Don't joke like that." he kisses my forehead "I'm sorry." he rests his head on the pillow and holds me tighter.

"I'm gonna turn off the lights." I say as I unwrap myself from him. I hit the light switch and open the balcony door. A comfortable breeze comes in and I can hear the waves crashing in the distance. I lay back down and I cover the both of us with the thin blanket, Finnick's warm arms wrap around my waist. "I'm glad you got to stay." he tells me with a smile on his face "I'm glad I got to stay too." my deal with Snow ringing through my head as I look into Finnick's eyes. He kisses me one more time before he closes his eyes. It isn't long before I hear him steadily breathing, I lay my head closer to his and I close my eyes too.

I wake up to the sleeping blonde figure of my baker. The light from the window hitting his face in all the right places. He almost looks like one of those Roman statues you see on the documentaries the Capitol shows now and then. Wait, no. Now that I think about it, those pieces of art have nothing on this creature of beauty, because I'm his and he's mine. I pull him in closer and I can feel the warmth from his body, his breath tickling the crook of my neck. I like this, I like this a lot. He starts to stir a little and I can see his eyebrows scrunch up. I can't help but sigh, he's been like this all night. I remember the constant nightmares when I first won, hell, I still get them some nights. But I can only imagine the hell that's still fresh in his mind. I let go of him and get on my knees, I start to shake him "Peeat, Peeta wake up." I can see his jaw clench, must be really bad "Peeta? Peeta!" I shake him harder and he jumps up, managing to land a right hook on my cheek.

I jump off the bed before he's able to land another punch "Ah fuck Peeta!" damn, I might as well been hit by a statue. I hear him gasp and fall off the bed while he tries to run off it. He comes up to me and starts cradling my cheek "Oh shit, I'm so sorry Finnick. I didn't realize it was you." he examines my cheek before leaving for the bathroom. He comes back with a tube of my bruise medication "Damn Peeta, the Capitol is gonna sell me off for a lower price." I chuckle and he scrunches his face "I told you not to joke like that." he finishes up with my cheek and he takes a seat next to me on the floor. "But seriously, what the hell do you bench?" he looks at me with a confused look and then giggles "I don't bench anything, but those bags of flour can get pretty heavy." he giggles. I love the way he giggles. He raises his arm and rubs my cheek again "I really am sorry for hitting you. You spooked me." "It's okay, but now you owe me." he rolls his eyes and gets up. He stands in front of me and extends his hand to help me up. I grab it, but I pull him down so he lands on top of me.

I crash my lips onto his, I can feel his lips contort into a grimace before he starts to relax and we deepen the kiss. We stay like this for a little longer until we separate and he places his forehead on mine "I have morning breath, no more kisses till breakfast." we laugh and I peck his lips, I love this feeling. The warm morning breeze was coming into the room, making Peeta's shiny golden locks blowing to and fro. The sun was bouncing off his eyes, making the deep blues turn into shiny oceans. Would it be cheesy of me to say I've been waiting for this my whole life? He smiles and I can't tell if my heart stopped or if it's beating exponentially faster. We get up making our way into the bathroom so to brush our teeth. The whole time we spent pushing each other and laughing at each other. We check our teeth and go to the kitchen, Peeta grabs a bunch of pastries and fruit and places int the middle of the table for us to eat. "So are you gonna wear clothes anytime soon?" he asks while I shove a bunch of croissants into my mouth. I smile and shake my head no and he sighs.

Why would I? I love the way he gets flustered when I stretch or when he sneaks a peek at my package when he thinks I'm not looking. "So what's the plan for today?" I shrug "It's suppose to be hotter than usual today. So we can just spend the day at the beach again. There's a small creek I know where the water's always cold." he nods his head thinking "Can I invite Katniss?" I shrug again "I guess, I can invite Annie so she doesn't feel like a third wheel." he smiles, happy at the idea of inviting his rock like friend. Only he would be happy at the thought of getting his friend out the train. Oh wait, excuse me, fiancee. Damn him for being so annoyingly good natured. I could just spend a few hours at a party while he's been fucked all night and he would be more worried about me.

We finish up breakfast and we get dressed. I convince him to wear shorter shorts than yesterday, telling him it would help him swim. More like I just wanna get more of a peek of that ass, but the less he knows, the better. It takes everything in me to not just lock the door and tear his clothes off, but good things come to those who wait. But that's to hoping he doesn't grind on me again tonight when we're spooning. Anyway, we go our separate ways, I'm on my way to inviting Annie over while he heads to the train to invite the blushing bride. Fortunately, Annie was excited to come with us. I wait inside her house a few minutes so she can change into swim clothes. She comes down the stairs and we make our way to the train "So I see that you've taken quite a liking to Peeta." she shoots me a smile and I can't help but rub the back of my neck. "Yea, we met in the Capitol when he won. He's pretty cool." only a small circle of Victors are sold in the Capitol. Thankfully Annie is excluded form that circle, but that means I have to bend the truth when I tell stories that involve me and Peeta.

"Oh? So you just find him pretty cool then?" I look at her, she has a playful look to her. Where was she getting at "What do you mean?" she shrugs her shoulders "Nothing. I'm just saying that I've known you since we were kids and I know when someone looks more than pretty cool to you." she uses air quotations when she says 'pretty cool.' "You do know he's going to marry Katniss after the tour? So whatever you're trying to say you can cut it out." she starts clapping her hands "That's so sweet and wonderful. I'm so happy for them." I spend the rest of the trip to the station explaining to Annie a modified version of the honeymoon plans I made for Peeta. When we arrive we find the two of them already standing outside. "It took some convincing, but I finally got her to come out with us." I inwardly roll my eyes, doesn't she realize some people would spend every minute with Peeta? Anyway, everyone introduces themselves and I lead them all to a secluded creek. We were surrounded by trees and one of them even had a rope swing.

The first half of the day is spent with us just relaxing and playing in the water and me messing with Katniss. She night not realize it yet, but I'm growing on her. Even under all the glares she gives me. The sun was setting and thankfully Katniss decided to call it a day "It's starting to get late guys, and Effie might literally explode when she doesn't find me back at the train by sun down."Annie offers to take her back to the train, they both walk out of the area, Peeta and I saying goodbye. And now, it was just the two of us in another private place. I couldn't help but smile at the dirty thoughts that started to run through my head. I take a seat by him and he's looking at the shell necklace in his hand "I'm glad Katniss decided to come out. She and Annie really hit it off." and there it is again, that annoying good naturedness that makes my heart swell.

I wrap an arm around his waist and I feel his body tense up and then relax. He always does that when I touch him. I remember when I use to be like that, he just needs to get use to people other than clients holding him. "I'm glad you're glad. But that's two times you owe me." he raises an eyebrow "I owe you? For what?" I mock a scoff "For forcing me to hang out with my competition." I couldn't help but laugh at the eye roll he gives me "You're relentless." he lays down on the grass with my arm still wrapped around him, forcing me down with him. We look at each other and I'm lost in the clear blue sky of his eyes "But seriously, you owe me." "Fine Finnick, what do I owe you?" I slip my arm from under him and I get on top of him. "You still haven't admitted your feelings for me. C'mon tell me that you love me." "And what if there isn't anything to admit?" he says crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

I pretend to think it over before I grab one of his nipples and twist it hard. We spend the next few minutes rolling around on the grass laughing and giggling and pretending to be fighting each other. We finally stop but we're still laughing "Haha, fine, I'll say it." I get off of him and we both get on our knees"Okay then, repeat after me. I Peeta Mellark." I say while putting my hand to my heart and raising the other. He does the same and repeats "I Peeta Mellark." Do solemnly swear that," he jokingly rolls his eyes but he repeats after me anyway "Do solemnly swear that," "I love Finnick Odair with all my heart." before he says anything I can see a blush creep on his face and he sighs happily. He gets closer to me and looks me in the eyes while taking my hands and holding them and says quietly "I love Finnick Odair, with all my heart."

I can feel my whole body get hot from happiness. I can't believe he finally said it, Peeta Mellark said that he loved me. I grab his arms and pull him closer and we kiss. This moment was the most perfect moment: there was a beautiful sunset, the birds were chirping, the greatest human being just said he loved me, and the world felt like it was perfect.

I slowly fall on my back, making sure that we don't separate the kiss. I can feel his hands start traveling up my body and I start to the same. The kiss getting heated as we continue. I let go of his lips but I make my way down his jaw and to his neck. He grabs my hair, but this time he isn't trying to pull me off. I hear him moan and it starts to excite me. God, I've been wanting this for so long. He starts to say my name but he's cut off from his own gasp when I bite lightly on his neck. I lift up myself up and hover over him. His eyes were half lidded and he was breathing deeply. I want to store this image in my head forever. "I love you Peeta Mellark." he gives me that smile that makes my heart swell.

I fall next to him and we start to kiss passionately again. I can hear and feel him moan into it and I do the same. I glide my hand down his side, but when firmly grasp the back of his thigh he pushed me and jump away. I get up and see this panicked look in his eyes while he's hugging himself "Peeta, what's wrong?" I crawl up to him slowly while he tries to catch his breath. "I'm sorry, it was just…" he shakes his head "It was just, for a second, I was back with the Peacekeepers, and it freaked me out." the swelling in my heart completely deflates while it sinks into my stomach. I come up to him and pull his arms away from him. I put them on my face "Look at me." I whisper, he slowly looks up "I promise you, this'll all get better. Peeta I love you so much, just please trust me that this will get better." I remember when I was in his position, not even Annie could hold my hands without my stomach churning. But I swear that I won't let Peeta go through this alone. He's getting more popular in not only the Capitol, but in the other districts and I need to be with him more than ever.

All he does his nods his head and I take him into a hug. I feel my bare chest get wet. I want to kill the people that cause this angel to cry. I kiss the top of his head and stroke his back trying to comfort him. If I could, I would take a boat so me and him can run away to the ocean. I peel him off and lift his chin, I take him into a chaste kiss. "I love you Peeta." I wipe a tear from his cheek "I love you too."

We spend the rest of the evening laying by the creek and staring at the night sky. All my years of boating and fishing, I got to learn all the constellations. I point them all out to Peeta and tell him all the stories behind them, trying to get his mind off 'work.' "Okay, so Katniss can be Sagittarius, and there's her best friend Gale, he can be Orion." Peeta came up with the idea of matching constellations to people we know. I point up "And Annie can be the water bearer. And Joanna can be the crab." "I was thinking her as being the dragon or at least the bull." he starts chuckling, it's contagious. Then I get an idea "Whenever you want to be around me, but I'm not there, look at pisces." if I can't be with him physically, I want to be with him in spirit. He thinks about it for a second "The fish? I was thinking about you being Hercules."

"Ooo, the strong man. I guess my rippling abs and giant biceps suits him." I say sounding arrogant. He roles his eyes "Never mind, you can be the whale." I laugh at his come back. "Fine then, you can be the Princess, baker bitch." he scoffs "Screw you." I reach out my hand and I run my hands through his hair "But really, I was thinking Leo for you." he shakes his head "What? I was thinking since you're hair's yellow and that you're good with words that you have the roar of a lion." he thinks about it again "Nah, I'd have to be scary or at least taller to be a lion." "Okay then, how about Libra?" he thinks about it and slowly nods his head "I like it."

It's perfect for him, he's always balanced, he always thinks about everyone, and he's good at communicating. I wrap my arm around his waist, making sure he sees me before I make contact so he doesn't tense up or freak out. "Hey, Finnick." I turn my head but he's still staring at the stars. "Thanks for this, really." I hold him tighter and I can feel my heart beat faster, he turns to me "I love you." "I love you too." he turns to me and wraps an arm around me too.

We stay like this, in each other's arms, and we enjoy each other's presence in the still night. We decide to go back to my house when a cool breeze causes him to shiver. We put on our shirts and we walk back holding hands, but Peeta lets go whenever he thinks someone can see us. We finally make it to my house in the village. Peeta goes upstairs to take a quick shower while I go into the kitchen and bring out a bottle of liquor and two shot glasses. I say Peeta and I should celebrate a little. I take a quick shot and wait for Peeta to come back down.

I wait a little until he finally comes into the kitchen "Special occasion?" "Party time baker bitch, take a seat." he pulls one out while I pour him a shot. "I'm sure Joanna would want us to celebrate our new relationship." he says right before taking the shot. He makes a sour face and I chuckle at him. He never was much of a drinker, at least not like Joanna and me. But it's pretty adorable when he takes his fourth shot and he gets red in the face. We spend the rest of the night drinking and talking. He tells me all about his trip to the other districts and the bakery while I just listen. I like this, I like this a lot. It feels good just talking and drinking with the person you love.

After we finnish a little over half the bottle we decide to call it a night. Peeta stumbles around so I help him up the stairs and into my room. He falls onto the bed. I grab a pair of briefs and change in front of him, making sure he got a full view of me "What's that stupid grin for?" I ask him. He's turned over on his back with his behind his head "Just enjoyin' da free show." I lay in bed next to him "Uh uh uh, if you get a show, I get a show." I say poking his chest. His smirk grows and he gets on top of me and we start kissing. Well damn, I wasn't expecting that, but I sure as hell don't complain. He let's me enter his mouth and we get more heated. My hands slip under his shirt and I feel the muscles under it. He starts to moan in my mouth and I feel shivers run down my back. God, he's so warm and he smells like coconut, my favorite smell. I slowly lift his shirt and we break apart for a second but quickly reconnect. I feel his hands run through my hair and my hands start to slip down his back until I feel the waistband of his boxer briefs. I start to slip my fingers under them, but "Finnick, wait." I look int his eyes and they look worried "Iz been only two days. I don't wanna spoil it with sex." I give him a peck on the lips and nod.

I know what he's thinking; we both have just been having sex., neither have us have ever made love and I shouldn't rush him into it. He lays back on my side "I'm sorry, please don't be upset." he says with eyes half lidded. I pull him into a hug "No, Peeta never. I don't ever want you to think you have to do something, especially sex. We deal with that enough already." I kiss his forehead and he burrows himself into my chest. I can hear him snoring into it and I lay my chin on his head. I close my head and my dreams are filled with ma and Peeta running away on that boat.

(A/N) Sorry about the wait, but AP Lit's a bitch. Thanks for reading.


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